


Miraculous Tales of Ladybug, Chat Noir, and Cainis

by GaleDragon



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir Has a Crush on Marinette Dupain-Cheng, Adrien grows a spine early, Autistic!Marinette, Blind!Max, Bullying, Diabetic!Adrien, Disabled doesn't mean Unable, Good Teacher Caline Bustier
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-11
Updated: 2020-09-21
Packaged: 2021-03-06 09:00:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 32,363
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25846984
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GaleDragon/pseuds/GaleDragon
Summary: More along the lines of a "What If?" A/U where Master Fu also gave Max the Dog Miraculous alongside Marinette and Adrien. And along with the challenge being superheroes, Marinette, Adrien, and Max also have to prove in their normal lives that being disabled doesn't mean you are unable to do things normally. They just do things just a little differently.
Comments: 14
Kudos: 43





	1. Chapter 1

~}i{~

 **Gale-Dragon** : Well... On one hand, I always seem to come up with the weirdest ideas for fanfictions and that can be a bit annoying, especially when I'm already working on other ongoing fanfics. On the other hand, I do think it would be nice to have a bit more representation in entertainment media and I do like one particular Miraculous fan theory that I have come across a few times. So I might as well light a match for this crazy idea.

~}i{~

Miraculous Tales of Ladybug, Chat Noir, and Cainis. Prologue.

~}i{~

_Marinette Dupain-Cheng_

Tom and Sabine knew there was something special about their daughter the moment they brought her home. They spent months preparing a room just for their child and then painted it after they found out the gender of their child via ultrasound.

Tom and Sabine did worry about their daughter during some instances, mostly when she was hungry or needed a change. Marinette was a very quiet baby, her parents could keep her in a baby carrier behind the cash register and customers would never notice she was there unless either Tom or Sabine glanced down to check on her. Marinette didn't cry when she wanted or needed something, she'd just whimper instead. The only time Marinette cried was when she got upset, which both parents would admit was a little inconvenient when they had to leave their shop. Yes, babies cry when they're upset, but baby Marinette cried whenever there was too much noise. All the cars whizzing by on the streets, a blaring radio, people talking loudly to one another, a buzzing light fixture, or any sudden loud noise was enough to set off Marinette in a crying fit.

Tom and Sabine have had playdates with the Lahiffes since they had a son named Nino who was roughly Marinette's age. Both sets of parents couldn't help but notice that the baby girl had no interest in playing with the baby boy when he played with the blocks or the teething rings, she seemed content with spinning the wheels of the toy cars or petting a fluffy plush toy. Marinette was just not acting like what Tom and Sabine read in the parenting books, so they started worrying.

So they made an appointment with a paediatrician immediately.

It was during that very appointment they got a diagnosis. It shocked both Tom and Sabine to the core. They tried to deny the diagnosis, but the facts could not be ignored, period. They loved their daughter, so they did their research and took note of Marinette's likes and dislikes. While the research helped Tom and Sabine understand their daughter more, it was their genuine interactions with her that allowed them to truly understand her diagnosis.

}i{

_Present_

"Morning maman, morning papa," Marinette, now 14-years-old (and canon appearance, but with a bigger pack that had what appeared to be a carrier-case with air-holes attached to the bottom of the pack), said to her parents as she walked down from her room.

"Morning sweetie, are you ready for school?" Sabine asked her daughter with a soft smile.

Marinette happily nodded before saying, "I packed everything the night before."

Tom handed Marinette a fresh batch of macaroons in a box with their new logo, courtesy of their daughter, when he said, "We sent in the paperwork for you last month, so you don't have to worry about a thing."

Marinette smiled when she took the macaroon box and kissed her parents on the cheek, she then told her parents that she'll see them later after school as she left the bakery.

Tom and Sabine smiled as they watch their daughter race off to Collège Françoise Dupont with the homemade macaroons.

While they initially didn't like the diagnosis they got all those years ago about their daughter, they wouldn't change a single thing about it. They learned alongside their daughter on how to both live and work around certain issues. Nothing can change those moments between parents and their child. The diagnosis was still in their minds as they watch their daughter dart out of sight.

"Mr Dupain, Mrs Cheng, the diagnosis is clear. Your daughter is on the Autism Spectrum," the paediatrician said to them on that day.

}i{

Marinette was standing at a crosswalk, waiting for the light change. She glanced at the others waiting at the crosswalk, nearly all were on their phones. They were either texting, reading, or too engrossed in a conversation to notice anything around them. That was when Marinette noticed an elderly man in a red Hawaiin shirt attempting to cross without noticing the oncoming car.

The teenage girl panicked at this, and immediately leapt into action and pulled the elderly man out of danger just in time. But she dropped her macaroons during this moment of heroics.

"Thank you miss," the elderly man said. He then noticed the now open box of macaroons with half of the content on the ground, and added, "Oh, but what a disaster."

The moment the light changed, the other pedestrians started walking, only half paying attention to what's going on around them. Some even stepped on the macaroons on the ground and almost stepping on the teenage girl kneeling on the ground to pick up her box.

Marinette sighed when she carefully held the box with the few remaining sweets inside before turning to the elderly man and said with a small smile, "Don't worry, sir, I'm no stranger to disasters. Besides, there's still a few left." She offered one of the unbroken macaroons to the elderly man.

He took one and took a bite. "Mmm, delicious," the elderly man said with a rather happy grin.

Marinette smiled before she realized that she had to get to school. She quickly told the elderly man to have a good day before she rushed off to school so she could arrive on time.

The elderly man reached into his pocket and pulled out a black octagonal box. He stared at it for a second or two before he glanced up in the direction Marinette raced off in and muttered to himself, "Thank you very much, young lady." He then walked into the Tom & Sabine Boulangerie Patisserie.

}i{

Marinette burst into Miss Bustier's classroom, just as the bell rang.

Miss Bustier (canon appearance) told Nino (also canon) that he was sitting in the front row this year as Marinette took her usual seat. The girl said hello to Nino as he passed by, he nodded a hello to her as he took his new seat. Marinette then spotted Kim (canon) and Max and bid them hello as well. They replied to her greeting with a simple hello. Miss Bustier stepped out of the classroom for a bit.

All these greetings were part of Marinette's daily routine. A routine that made her feel safe, that everything was structured soundly. Routine was calming to Marinette, like a safety blanket. Hence, why Marinette was practically an expert at time management.

Suddenly, a hand slammed on Marinette's desk area. It was Chloe Bourgeois (canon appearance).

"Marinette Dupain-Cheng," the blonde stated in her usual stuck-up tone.

"What do you want Chloe?" Marinette said with an annoyed sigh. The dual-national girl hated the bully, she always tried to disrupt the school routine in one way or another. Not to mention Marinette always seemed to be Chloe's favourite target to harass for some reason. Always made fun of her for being "Mentally Inept", which was an inaccurate statement, to say the least. Marinette was one of the best students in the class when it came to grades and she made her own creative designs by hand.

Marinette Dupain-Cheng was Autistic, not inept, period. End of discussion.

"This is MY seat now," Chloe said without much care for the other's tone.

"No, it's not. It's my seat," Marinette stated with a frown. This was HER assigned seat. Miss Bustier sent out the seating chart to her students a week before school started, and the teacher made no notion that there was a seating change. So Marinette KNEW she was in the right seat. 'School bearly started and she's already ruining the routine,' the bluebell eyed teen thought angrily.

"Not anymore," Sabrina (also canon appearance) said as she slid next to Marinette before adding, "New school year, new seats."

"So why don't you just sit next to that new girl over there," Chloe said as she pointed to a teenage girl with shoulder-length autumn ombre hair, dark brown glasses that were slightly squared, wore a red and white plaid short-sleeved shirt with blue skinny jeans, and was holding her cellphone in her hands. The new girl glared at the bully.

Marinette folded her arms, shook her head, and said, "That's not what the seating chart says. My seat is here, not there." She was not moving, unless the teacher said so, period.

Nino turned to face his childhood friend and bullies, and said, "Really, Chloe? School hasn't even started and you're already making a fuss. And over seating arrangments too? Not cool."

"I concur," Max (canon appearance, except that his glasses are tinted black) stated, getting the attention on him. He then said, "If you had any issues with the seating arrangement, you should've contacted Miss Bustier about it a week ago. Her contact information was given with the seating chart. Since you obviously haven't told her that you wanted a seating change, you have to sit where the seating chart tells you to sit."

Chloe huffed as she turned to Max and snapped, "Mind your own business and quit eavesdropping on me."

"It's not considered eavesdropping if someone is talking loud enough to be heard by others," Max stated in a flat unamused tone as he pushed his glasses up.

Chloe scoffed before she said in her snooty tone, "If you must know, Adrien is arriving today and that's *points at the desk in front of Marinette's and next to Nino's* going to be his seat. *Places hand on Marinette's desk*, So this is going to be my seat, get it."

Marinette kept her ground when she said, "Then you should've told Miss Bustier that when you got the seating arrangements. But you didn't, so this is MY seat and I'm staying here. I don't care who this Aidian person is or who he is to you, so go sit in YOUR assigned seat." Marinette couldn't understand why the blonde bully wanted to sit behind one boy.

Chloe turned red when she heard that. She was baffled by how this girl could NOT know who Adrien is. But before the blonde could put in another word Miss Bustier cleared her throat from the doorframe of the classroom.

Miss Bustier folded her arms and gave Chloe a stern look when she said, "I believe your assigned desk is over there Chloe," as she pointed at the desk the new student was sitting at. The teacher looked at the new student and said sweetly, "Ms Césaire, your seat is next to Marinette. *Points to the desk where Sabrina was currently sitting at*. And Sabrina, you're sitting next to Chloe. *Claps her hands*, now to your proper seatings please."

With that, the three girls moved to their assigned desks.

The new girl slid next to Marinette and said, "You did pretty good with not letting that bully get the best of you."

Marinette shrugged when she replied, "She can be a pest, but she's done worse than complaint about seating. Besides, this is my assigned seat and it has been for four years."

The new girl chuckled when she said, "So you're a bit territorial, huh."

"Not really, it's just the school routine," Marinette sated bluntly before adding equally a bluntly, "Chloe should know by now that I don't break the school routine."

The new girl raised a brow at this. Nino turned to the girls behind him and explained, "Mari's on the Autism Spectrum, so she likes things to be routine or on a schedule. Also, a little warning, Mari's blunt as heck so don't take anything too personally."

"Mom keeps telling me that I was born without a filter," Marinette said in a flat tone as her bag started to shake a bit.

Nino smiled when he said, "See what I mean. By the way, I'm Nino Lahiffe and you already met Marinette Dupain-Cheng."

The new girl giggled when she introduced herself as Alya Césaire.

"Mur-row," a sound emitted from Marinette's bag as it wiggles some more.

Alya looked at the moving bag and asked, "Umm, what was that?"

Miss Bustier smiled when she said. "Marinette, if she's on a harness you can let Miki out now."

"She is Miss Bustier," Marinette said as she unlocked a hidden lock the lower section of her pack. When the hidden lock was undone, a small door opened, and a white short-haired cat on a baby blue walking harness sauntered out. Marinette pulled a leash that matched the harness out of her pack as the cat jumped onto the bench, right between the bluette and the ombre-haired girl. The cat then sat down before moving into laying as Marinette attached the leash to the harness.

Alya was a little confused by this. Were pets allowed at this school?

Marinette stroked the cat's head when she explained, "This is Miki, she's my therapy cat. She helps me with keeping my anxiety levels down."

"Aww, she's so cute," Alya cooed as she raised her hand to pet the cat, only to have Miki growl at her. The new student quickly retracted her hand at that.

"Probably should explain, Miki's not fond of being petted by strangers. She won't hesitate to bite or scratch you. And as of now, you're a stranger to her," Nino explained, before snickering and adding, "Though, she still hasn't warmed up to Kim after all this time." The red hat-wearing teen then glanced at the French-Korean with a knowing smirk.

Kim puffed his cheeks when he said, "I'll win her over eventually!"

"It wouldn't be taking so long if you hadn't pulled her tail when you first met her," Max said in a deadpin tone, not even glancing at the others. Kim did turn pink at the statement though, causing most of the class to chuckle.

Alya glanced down at the cat, who seemed to be glaring at the glasses-wearing girl with her mismatched eyes (the right eye is yellow and the left is blue). "I'm sure she'll warm up to me eventually," Alya said with a small smile.

"Kim said the same thing, and Miki still doesn't like him," Marinette stated bluntly, without really thinking about what she was saying. Miki rubbed her cheek against her person's leg as she moved closer to the bluette.

Nino pointed a thumb at the bluette when he said, "See, she's blunt."

"So I've noticed," Alya said with a small smile.

A few seconds later, a handsome fair-skinned slender teenage boy with brushed-back blond hair that is swept to the right, emerald green eyes, had a rosy tint on his cheeks, nose, and the tips of his ears, wearing a white button-down shirt with an upturned collar and sleeves rolled up above his elbow, which he keeps unbuttoned. Underneath, he wore a black shirt with five horizontal stripes around the chest which are coloured, from top to bottom, yellow, olive green, bright green, dark green, and periwinkle paired with blue jeans, and orange sneakers with white laces and a logo of a black butterfly in a circle on the sides scurried into the classroom almost out of breath.

Miss Bustier glanced at the new boy before smiling and saying, "Ah, you must be Adrien Agreste. *Points at the empty desk next to Nino and in front of Marinette's* Your assigned seat is right there. You are technically late, but since it's the first day of school, I'll let it slide. Do try to be here before the bell rings."

Adrien nodded as he made his way to his seat. Chloe immediately jumped on the blonde boy, hugging him and saying "Adrikins, you're here!"

Miss Bustier cleared her throat, making both Chloe and Adrien turn to her. The teacher then said, "Chloe, hands to yourself and please return to your seat." With a huff, the blonde bully complied.

The blonde, green-eyed boy went to his seat, looking a little confused over what had happened.

Miss Bustier then wrote her name on the chalkboard and said, "For those who don't yet know me, I'm Miss Bustier. I'll be your teacher this year."

~}i{~

_Adrien Agreste_

Little Adrien Agreste was 6-years-old when it happened. While he didn't know what caused it to happen, it still happened.

It was at a family reunion with his mother's family, Graham de Vanily, when it suddenly happened. Adrien was happily playing with his cousin, Felix, when he suddenly became thirsty, so the two went to the refreshment table to get something to drink. The fruit punch was really tasty, that Adrien remembered well.

"Umm, Adrien, you okay? That's your fourth cup," Felix asked his cousin in a weirded out tone. He'd never seen the other boy drink so much in one setting before.

Adrien finished the cup before he said, "I'm fine, I'm just really thirsty." He then got another cup of punch.

Felix rolled his eyes when he said, "If you get sugar high here, uncle will get mad." The boy didn't bother hiding his dislike of his uncle, Adrien's father.

"I'm not gonna get sugar high," Adrien said as he drank down his fifth cup.

Felix raised a concerned brow when he said, "You sure? You really are drinking a lot of the punch..."

"I said I'm fine!" Adrien snapped in annoyance.

Felix raised his hands in a 'calm down' motion when he said. "Okay, okay, you won't get sugar high, no need to get as irritable as you dad." The sudden snapping was a new thing with Adrien, that Felix knew. The Agreste child took after his Graham de Vanily mother than his stern father, so the snapping was out of character.

Adrien now had a guilty look on his face as he took his sixth cup of punch and said, "Sorry Felix, I don't know why I snapped at you..." He then took a sip of the drink. Why was he so thirsty? 'Wait a second, did Felix always look fuzzy?' Adrien thought as his cousin started looking a little blurry. He then glanced down at his cup and realized that it was starting to get blurry too.

"Adrien? Are you okay, you're starting to-" Felix didn't get to finish his sentence when he saw his cousin collapse to the ground. The punch that was still in the cup splattered everywhere on the ground near the fallen child. In a panic, Felix started calling out, "MUM! AUNTY! COME QUICK! ADRIEN'S SICK!"

And that was the last thing Adrien remembered before everything went black.

}{

Adrien wasn't sure how long he slept for, all he knew was that he woke up in the Hos-bital place. Hoes-sical? Hostical? No, the word is Hospital. The beds were nice but they were a little too white for the boy's taste. Adrien remembered his mother, father, aunt, uncle, and cousin by his bedside, all looking worried. Adrien couldn't fault them for that, he did collapse during a family get together. But... What the boy couldn't figure out was why or how he collapsed.

The doctor came in a few minutes after his father told a nurse that he was awake. The hospital ran a blood, what was the word gain? Do-te-nir-tix? Die-more-it-ix? Die-od-knot-tis? Ah, right. Diagnostic. The word was Diagnostic! The hospital ran a blood diagnostic on him while he was sleeping. And the doctor had the diagnostic report. Adrien wasn't sure how they could run a test when someone was asleep, but if it solved how Adrien collapsed. Well, he wasn't going to complain.

The doctor took a deep breath before finally saying, "Mr Agreste, Mrs Agreste. According to the test results, your son has Type One Diabetes."

}i{

Adrien got used to having his pinky finger pricked by needles over the years. It wasn't hard when he didn't have a choice. But with all the technological improvement with diabetic technology, he didn't have to prick himself as often anymore to check his blood sugar. As soon as a confirmed and reliable technical advancement was made in diabetic healthcare, Gabriel Agreste made sure to get it for his son and that the entire household knew how it worked. The Insulin Pump was one of Adrien's favourite, no more finger pricking, and long waits to know his blood sugar level. He did have to be careful with that one during a few activities, but it gave Adrien some liberties. He still had to make sure he drank plenty of water to prevent himself from getting any dizzy spells. Adrien quickly learned that his dizzy spells were not fun and that water was the best thing to combat those.

Felix and Chloe became rather protective after they learned about Adrien's diagnosis.

Felix, more or less, personally inspected every food item that was served, especially the sugar levels, whenever he was with his cousin on set. If something was too high in sugar, Felix had it removed. While Adrien appreciated the gesture, he did have to tell his cousin more than a few times not to harass the catering/food staff about it.

Chloe, kind of sort of, became a second bodyguard of some sort. Adrien has lost count of how many times he had to explain to Chloe that he just couldn't produce insulin naturally and had to monitor his blood sugar levels. Don't get him wrong, he did appreciate his childhood friend caring for him enough to try to protect him, but he did wish that she understood that having diabetes didn't mean that he was frail.

Adrien's mother, Emilie, was the rock of the Agreste family. She made sure Gabriel didn't go overboard with the company and she told Adrien that his diabetes didn't have to rule his life. She helped moderated the family an kept it as a family. So it hurt a great deal when she disappeared a year ago. Adrien was able to keep control of his diabetes, despite the pain of his mother not being there, but Gabriel... He... Well... At least Nathalie is making sure Gabriel comes home from the office every once and a while... And that he ate... And had a son...

Adrien becoming a model for his father's company was okay. It wasn't really his favourite thing to do, but he didn't exactly hate it either. The job gave him extra money and it got him out of the house. Adrien supposed that one of the pluses to being a model was keeping an eye on his weight. He has had problems with his weight before, mostly with sudden/unintended weight loss, but his doctor told him that it was normal for someone with diabetes. Either way, the modelling gig helped Adrien pick up tips on healthy weight gain and caused him to pick up a 'keeping water on hand' habit.

But the thing that Adrien hated was the fact that his father practically had him on house arrest, except when he was out modelling. Wouldn't even let him go to school, but all that was going to change, whether Gabriel liked it or not.

}i{

_Present_

Adrien raced down a street, making sure to avoid the pedestrians as he made his way towards his new school. He's already tricked both Nathalie and his bodyguard into thinking he was studying in his room and won't bother him for a while. He already snuck a few snacks for himself for when he's at school, just in case his blood sugar got low. He had two bottles of water in his bag too, so he can control his sudden thirst and avoid his dizzy spells.

As he ran, he started seeing the school building becoming larger and larger as got closer and closer. That was when he noticed an elderly man in a red Hawaiian shirt on the ground, trying to reach his cane that was just out of his reach. Without really thinking, Adrien helped the elderly man up and handed him the cane.

"Thank you, young man," the elderly man said graciously once he was on his feet, with the assist of the cane.

"It's no big deal, you looked like you needed the help anyway," Adrien said with a small smile. That was when he heard the school bell ring. "Uh-oh, I got to go!" the teen said when he realized that the bell meant that school was about to start. Adrien quickly told the elderly man to take care before he raced off.

The elderly man smiled fondly as he picked up his cane and rested it on his shoulder before he walked off, whistling a nameless tune as he did.

}i{

Adrien quickly scurried into the school and quickly located his assigned classroom. He managed to get to the room, but he was almost out of breath.

The teacher glanced at the new boy before smiling and saying, "Ah, you must be Adrien Agreste. *Points at the empty desk next to a teenage boy with a red hat and headphones around his neck and in front of a bluebell eyed girl blue pigtails* Your assigned seat is right there. You are technically late, but since it's the first day of school, I'll let it slide. Do try to be here before the bell rings."

Adrien nodded as he made his way to his seat. Chloe immediately jumped on the blonde boy, hugging him and saying "Adrikins, you're here!" Oh right, she was in his class.

The teacher cleared her throat, making both Chloe and Adrien turn to her. The teacher then said, "Chloe, hands to yourself and please return to your seat." With a huff, the blonde girl complied.

The blonde, green-eyed boy went to his seat, looking a little confused over what had happened. Where there rules in this class that he wasn't aware of?

The teacher then wrote her name on the chalkboard and said, "For those who don't yet know me, I'm Miss Bustier. I'll be your teacher this year."

Adrien smiled. His first day of public school! He couldn't wait to see how the day goes!

~}i{~

_Max Kanté_

Max didn't have his father when growing up. The man left him and his mother when he was bearly a year old. Max never had infantile amnesia, so he could easily recall the day his dad left.

The boy was sleeping in his crib when he awoke to the sounds of a loud argument. The voices belonged to his parents, that the baby was sure of. Little Max didn't know what they were arguing about, he was too far away to hear the specific words used, all he knew was that his parents were loud and they sounded very angry. It scared the small child. He never heard his parents so mad before.

That was when little Max heard the sound of something breaking, maybe a plate or bowl or something ceramic. Then a few seconds later the sound of a door being forcefully opened, and then a door slammed shut, hard. Little Max let out a whimper, genuinely scared about what had just happened.

Little Max then heard footsteps. After the shouting and the door slamming, the footsteps just added to the baby's fears.

The door to little Max's room opened, and now he heard someone sniffed in sadness like they were trying to stop themself from crying. "Oh, Maxie," said a familiar voice filled with sorrow and tears.

Little Max recognized the voice, it belonged to his mama! But why was she sad now? She was mad earlier... Did papa do something mean to mama?

Little Max heard his mama moved closer to his crib before she picked him up and cradled him in her arms, holding him close to her chest. Oh, she was wearing a soft shirt, little Max loves soft clothes. They were good to nap on.

"I don't care what that... That jerk thinks! He had no right to say all that about his own son!" Claudie Kanté seethed as she hugged her baby boy close to her chest, tucking his little head under her chin. Little Max didn't understand who his mama was talking about, but whoever it was had to be a mean person if mama sounded upset when talking.

Well, she knew that after that nasty argument she was getting full custody of her son, no ifs ands or buts about it. Claudie glanced down at her baby, who fell back asleep in her arms and mumbled to herself, "I know you're going to be amazing my little Maxie, I just know it. Disability or not." The baby continued to sleep in his mama's warm embrace.

The next morning, little Max found out his papa was no longer home. Mama told him that papa left and he was never coming back.

}i{

_Present_

Max cooked breakfast this morning. It took some practice, but he can cook on his own now with no problem. No fancy or complex meals, just day to day meals for everyday life. Max was proud of his cooking accomplishment as he carefully placed the food on the plates. He then carefully carried the plates to the diner table. Max couldn't wait for his mother's reaction!

The moment Max placed the plates on the table, he heard his mother's voice. "Oh my! Max did you make breakfast? By yourself?"

Max smiled when he said, "I did, and while I know the food isn't going to be considered high-class or top-notch, it is 100% edible and palatable."

Claudie walked over to her son, hugged him, and said, "My Maxie's growing up so fast." She then kissed him on the forehead.

"Aww, mom," Max said with a small smile as he hugged his mom back. The teen then said as he separated from this mother, "Now let's eat. You have to be at the train station at precisely 09:00 so you can start the train at 09:15, and I have to be at school at the same time." He then moved to a chair and sat down.

Claudie smiled as she took her seat at the table and the two started eating. The train operator easily cut her food with the knife, then used her fork to pick up the pieces, and then ate the pieces. She smiled again. Her son was right, the food was good enough to easily be considered palatable. Claudie couldn't stop herself from glancing at her son as he ate. Just like her, he cut his food with a knife, but instead of just using the fork to pick the food up, he used his knife to ensure that the pieces of food was skured on the fork before he brought the fork to his mouth and ate the food.

"Mom, is everything alright? You've stopped eating," Max asked, pausing his actions.

Claudie shook her head when she said, "Everything is fine, the food's fine too. But I was thinking, maybe I should drive you to school today. Just so you don't have to worry about being late."

Max gave her a soft smile when he said, "Mom, Collège Françoise Dupont is in the opposite direction of the train station. If you drive me to school after we finish eating, then you will be 7.37 minutes late. 10.4 minutes if traffic is accounted for. Therefore, I shall walk to school and you drive to work after we finish eating. That way we both will arrive at our respective locations on time."

Claudie giggled before she said, "Well now, I guess I can't argue with those facts." This made Max smile before he continued eating. With a smile on her face, the train operator said, "I guess I'm just being an overprotective mom. I know you know the route to school by heart, but I can't help but worry."

"Don't worry mom," Max assured his mother before adding, "I added a proximity sensor to my belts. Those will alert me to anyone getting too close to my person. And don't forget about Markov." Max put down his knife and tapped his tinted glasses.

Claudie laughed for a few seconds before she said, "Sorry about that, Markov. But it is a little too easy to forget your presence every once and a while."

Max pushed back his glasses when he said, "Markov forgives you, and we're working on making him a new form that'll suit him better. He finds the glasses a little too cramped for his programming."

"I can understand that," Claudie said before they continued with breakfast.

Once breakfast was finish, the two Kantés got ready to leave. Claudie made sure to grab her conductor's hat and coat as Max grabbed his pack and his white cane. The mother gave her son one last hug before they parted ways to start on their way to their destinations. Claudie slid into the driver's seat of her car and quickly checked her mirrors as she started the car, as she did she watched her son walking off towards school in the rearview mirror. The train operator saw her son swish his cane in front of him from side to side as he walked. Claudie sighed in relief as a small smile formed on her face. She then drove off towards the train station, knowing that her son would be fine.

Max might've been born blind but he was completely capable of taking care of himself.

}i{

"Max, the crosswalk signal indicates that you are to stop and wait until it is safe to cross," a voice coming from the temple tip (1) of Max's glasses.

"Thanks, Markov," Max said as he stopped at the crosswalk, where the sidewalk curve had the bumpy structure that was specifically made for visually impaired individuals.

Max had a passion for machines, technology, and coding, this passion caused him to make devices of his own. While it took a lot of research, most of it being trial and error due to most of the research not being in brail or in a method that Max could not do. But after countless hours of hard work and finding methods that work for him, Max was able to make his greatest creation, Markov.

Markov was an AI, or artificial intelligence, that Max had developed to aid him in his endeavours to function in a word dominated by people with sight. Telling the teen the current crosswalk signals, important road signs, reading the school textbooks that did not have a brail edition to Max, signs, and banners for local events or menus, and even alert Max to any unexpected events that might happen around the teen. While Markov's main dock is in the computer in Max's room, the glasses Max wore were specifically made so Markov can function in them as an Electronic Eye to the blind teen, so to speak. Those glasses were a prototype of Max's design to see if an AI could act as a pair of working eyes, which did work, but the glasses didn't have much memory space for Markov to function fully and the battery life of the glasses only lasted for a maximum of 12 hours. Max already had an idea in mind to improve both Markov and his glasses.

"The signal has changed, it is now safe to cross," Markov happily announced. Max smiled, thanked Markov, and started walking. The AI then took note of the weather patterns and commented, "Today can be categorized as "pleasant" for individuals who enjoy outdoor activities."

Max smiled when he said, "I concur, the temperature is in the acceptable range and the weather is calm. A pleasant day indeed." The teen heard Markov beep happily.

"Someone! Stop that man! He stole something!" Max and Markov heard someone shout from behind.

Max turned towards the shouting, allowing Markov to use the cameras in the glasses to see what was happening. The AI easily pinpointed the thief, since he was the only one running. "Max, the thief in question is heading right towards us at the average speed of an adult male. And it appears that the item that he has taken is in a small box-like container."

"That gives me roughly, 7.34 seconds to act," Max muttered. Markov was about to dispute the idea, but the AI quickly calculated that the amount of time was insignificant enough to give a proper reason.

When the thief got close enough to Max, the blind teenager jammed his cane where he heard the thief's feet. This caused the thief to fall flat on his face and allowed the police to apprehend him and return the stolen goods to its rightful owner. One of the officers thanked Max for his help, but he did have to tell him that the thief could've been dangerous and could've hurt him.

The owner of the stolen goods personally thanked Max for his heroics. To the blind teen, the owner sounded like an older gentleman and since the voice sounded like it was coming from a little below his ears, Max concluded that the gentleman was also a little shorter than him. "Is there a way that I can repay you, young man?" The elderly man asked Max in a thankful tone.

Max shook his head when he said, "You don't have to do that, I wanted to help." That was when his cell phone went off. 'There's a high probability that it's from Kim,' Max thought as he wished the elderly man a good day and then continued on his way to school.

The elderly man in the red Hawaiin shirt watched the blind teen go. This elderly man then glanced down at the black octagonal box in his hand before looking back up in the direction that the teen headed off in. Then he left the scene and returned to his place of residence, still thinking about the actions of the blind child.

}i{

When Max arrived at Collège Françoise Dupont with 8.267 minutes to spare. He was greeted by two of his best friends, Kim Chiến Lê and Alix Kubdel (both are canon appearances), both of whom were waiting outside the school for him.

"Hey Max, did you get my message?" Kim asked as Max got to the stairs that led up into the school. To the blind teen's ears, the other sounded a little nervous when he asked his question.

Max shook his head when he said, "Negative, I don't listen to messages when I am walking. I was planning on listening to it when I got to the classroom. Mom told me that the seating arrangments are the same as last year, correct?" While the blind teen knew the layout of the school, and therefore the classrooms, desk and chair locations shift every so often.

Alix nodded, out of habit, when she said, "Yeah, same seating as last year, so I'm going to assume the furniture is still in the same locations too."

That was when Kim added, "And the same classmates as last year too, but we have two new students in our class. Not sure how their family names are pronounced, but their given names seem to be Al-i-ah and Adrien."

Max placed the back of his right index finger to his chin when he said out loud, "So we have a new girl and a new boy in our class."

"Yeah, basically," Alix said before she pulled Max up the stairs and added, "Now come on, we have to get to class. The faster we get the first-day crud out of the way, the faster we can do fun stuff. Plus, plus you need to listen to that message~."

Max let Alix drag him into the school, he also heard Kim's footsteps trailing behind them. That meant that he was following them to class. Max couldn't help but wonder why they wanted him to listen to the message left on his phone.

Once they were outside Miss Bustier's classroom door, Alix told Max he should listen to the message. Since they were literally right outside their class door and they had time before the bell would ring. This time, Max asked what was so important about the message, but Alix told him that he had to listen to it to understand why. Kim was oddly quiet during this conversation. So, Max pulled his phone out of his right pocket and used the voice controls to access his messages, both audio and text messages.

"You have one new message from Kim Chiến Lê," the robotic voice from the phone announced. The phone then asked, "Would you like to listen to this message now?"

"Yes," Max told the phone.

A few seconds later, the phone played the message, "Hey, Max, it's Kim." Max gave a small smile at the boisterous tone his buddy was using in the message. During this, Alix smirked as she glances up at Kim, who was looking a little nervous. The message continued, "So, uh, listen, I kinda wanted to tell you this in person, but I kept chickening out on it..." Max raised a brow at this. Is Kim chickening out on something? What was this supposed to mean? Now Max was both confused and curious. What on earth could cause Kim Chiến Lê to back down from something? The message continued, "*Alix's Voice* Quit stalling and just say it you dope!" Max somewhat snorted at Alix's sudden dialogue in the message.

Suddenly, something, or rather someone, collided with Max and he dropped his phone due to the force of the collision. The phone hit the ground and then announced, "Message deleted."

Max heard a scoff before a familiar voice said, "I would love to say watch where you're going, but that wouldn't be helpful advice for you." Wow, that was an old one...

"Chloe! You did that on purpose!" Alix snapped at Chloe as Kim picked up the phone and returned it to its owner, the skater girl and the athletic boy were glaring at the blonde bully at this.

Chloe brushed off the accusation when she scoffed out, "He shouldn't be standing someplace where he knows he'll get hit."

Kim was the one to respond, "Max was standing to the side of the hallway, you could've easily avoided him! But you chose to run into him since you hit him hard enough to almost make hime lose his footing."

Chloe scoffed before she said, "Whatever." And then she sauntered off.

"She should've at least apologized. It is common courtesy after all," Markov commented, using the mini speaker located on the left side of the glasses frame, near the hinges. Max added that as a small way for Markov to communicate with others in short instances but using the speaker constantly burns up the battery in the glasses faster. So that was only used for important communications. Max quickly made a mental note to fix that issue so Markov could participate in conversations freely instead of just commenting for the teen to relay.

Max sighed when he said, "No offence Markov, but the only time the words "Chloe" and "Apologize" would be in the same sentence would be "Chloe doesn't Apologize". She's nothing but an annoying bully." Max then checked his messages again, his phone replied that he had no new or existing messages. "And she erased the message you left, Kim. Though, it was the byproduct of her action," the blind teen said with a frown.

Before Max could ask Kim what the message was about, Miss Bustier told them to come into the classroom and not loiter in the hallway. So the three did and took their assigned seats. Max collapsed his cane and placed it on the desk.

It didn't take long for Max to hear someone burst into Miss Bustier's classroom, just as the bell rang. There was a 91% chance that this person was Marinette Dupain-Cheng.

Max then heard Miss Bustier telling Nino that he was sitting in the front row this year as he heard Marinette going to her usual/assigned seat. The girl said hello to Nino as they passed each other, which Max heard. Marinette then bid Kim and the blind teen a hello. They replied to her greeting with a simple hello. Max heard Miss Bustier stepped out of the classroom for a bit.

All these greetings were part of Marinette's daily routine, something Max had learned about rather quickly about her. Kim was a childhood friend of Marinette and that was how Max meet the autistic girl. Max and Marinette didn't seem to have that much in common at first, but as they got to know one another they realized that they were more similar then they thought.

Suddenly, a hand slammed on a desk. It sounded like it was coming from Marinette's area.

"Marinette Dupain-Cheng," someone stated in a stuck-up tone. Urg, Chloe again.

"What do you want Chloe?" Marinette said with an annoyed sigh. Max could easily understand her annoyance at the bully.

"This is MY seat now," Chloe said without much care for the other's tone.

"No, it's not. It's my seat," Marinette stated with a frown. Max didn't need to see to know that this was going to be drama.

"Not anymore," Max heard Sabrina say. From where the blind teen can hear, the minion sounded like she slid next to Marinette from the opposite side of the autistic girl before she added, "New school year, new seats."

"So why don't you just sit next to that new girl over there," Max heard Chloe said.

'She must be talking about Alya,' Max deduced.

Marinette folded her arms, shook her head, and said, "That's not what the seating chart says. My seat is here, not there." Max knew for a fact that Marinette was not going to move unless the teacher said so.

Max then heard Nino say, "Really, Chloe? School hasn't even started and you're already making a fuss. And over seating arrangments too? Not cool."

"I concur," Max finally stated, getting the attention on him. He then said, "If you had any issues with the seating arrangement, you should've contacted Miss Bustier about it a week ago. Her contact information was given with the seating chart. Since you obviously haven't told her that you wanted a seating change, you have to sit where the seating chart tells you to sit."

Chloe huffed as she turned to Max and snapped, "Mind your own business and quit eavesdropping on me."

"It's not considered eavesdropping if someone is talking loud enough to be heard by others," Max stated in a flat unamused tone as he pushed his glasses up.

Chloe scoffed before she said in her snooty tone, "If you must know, Adrien is arriving today and that's going to be his seat. *Places hand on Marinette's desk*, So this is going to be my seat, get it."

Marinette kept her ground when she said, "Then you should've told Miss Bustier that when you got the seating arrangements. But you didn't, so this is MY seat and I'm staying here. I don't care who this Aidian person is or who he is to you, so go sit in YOUR assigned seat."

A few seconds later, Max heard Miss Bustier cleared her throat from the doorframe of the classroom.

Max heard Miss Bustier give Chloe a stern look when she said, "I believe your assigned desk is over there Chloe. Ms Césaire, your seat is next to Marinette. And Sabrina, you're sitting next to Chloe. *Claps her hands*, now to your proper seatings please."

With that, the three girls moved to their assigned desks.

Max was able to hear the new girl slid next to Marinette and said, "You did pretty good with not letting that bully get the best of you."

Marinette shrugged when she replied, "She can be a pest, but she's done worse than complaint about seating. Besides, this is my assigned seat and it has been for four years."

The new girl chuckled when she said, "So you're a bit territorial, huh." Max somewhat smiled at this conversation.

"Not really, it's just the school routine," Marinette sated bluntly before adding equally a bluntly, "Chloe should know by now that I don't break the school routine."

Max then heard Nino explaining, "Mari's on the Autism Spectrum, so she likes things to be routine or on a schedule. Also, a little warning, Mari's blunt as heck so don't take anything too personally."

"Mom keeps telling me that I was born without a filter," Marinette said in a flat tone as her bag started to shake a bit. Max quickly covered his mouth to stop himself from laughing. Marinette was a little too blunt for her own good sometimes.

Nino smiled when he said, "See what I mean. By the way, I'm Nino Lahiffe and you already met Marinette Dupain-Cheng."

The new girl giggled when she introduced herself as Alya Césaire.

Suddenly Alya asked, "Umm, what was that?"

Max heard Miss Bustier say. "Marinette, if she's on a harness you can let Miki out now."

'Ah, so Miki's here too,' Max thought as he rested his arms on his desk.

"She is Miss Bustier," Marinette said as Max heard her unlocked a hidden lock the lower section of her pack. The blind teen remembered helping the autistic girl with making the pack with pet carrier attachment.

Marinette explained, "This is Miki, she's my therapy cat. She helps me with keeping my anxiety levels down."

"Aww, she's so cute," Alya cooed. That was when Max heard Miki growl at the new girl.

'She must've tried to pet Miki,' Max reasoned logically.

"Probably should explain, Miki's not fond of being petted by strangers. She won't hesitate to bite or scratch you. And as of now, you're a stranger to her," Nino explained, before snickering and adding, "Though, she still hasn't warmed up to Kim after all this time."

Kim puffed his cheeks when he said, "I'll win her over eventually!"

"It wouldn't be taking so long if you hadn't pulled her tail when you first met her," Max said in a deadpin tone. Kim did turn pink at the statement though, causing most of the class to chuckle.

"I'm sure she'll warm up to me eventually," Alya said with a small smile.

"Kim said the same thing, and Miki still doesn't like him," Marinette stated bluntly, without really thinking about what she was saying.

Max heard Nino say, "See, she's blunt."

"So I've noticed," Alya said with a small smile.

A few seconds later, someone new scurried into the classroom almost out of breath.

Max then heard Miss Bustier say, "Ah, you must be Adrien Agreste. *Points at the empty desk next to Nino and in front of Marinette's* Your assigned seat is right there. You are technically late, but since it's the first day of school, I'll let it slide. Do try to be here before the bell rings."

Adrien nodded as he made his way to his seat. Chloe immediately jumped on the blonde boy, hugging him and saying "Adrikins, you're here!"

Miss Bustier cleared her throat, making both Chloe and Adrien turn to her. The teacher then said, "Chloe, hands to yourself and please return to your seat." With a huff, the blonde bully complied.

The blonde, green-eyed boy went to his seat.

Max heard Miss Bustier write her name on the chalkboard and said, "For those who don't yet know me, I'm Miss Bustier. I'll be your teacher this year."

"Markov, start recording today's lesson," Max said softly to the AI. The AI dinged as it complied.

~}i{~

The last Guardian of the Miraculous as finally made a decision. It was a tough one, but he was hoping it was the right one.

The elderly man in a red Hawaiin shirt held a black octagonal box in front of his face before he left his residence.

Hopefully, this will aid the Ladybug and Black Cat holders in their endeavours.

~}i{~

To be Continued.

~}i{~

1) The temple tips are the glasses industry name for the arms of the glasses which go across the wearer's temple. They're not actually just tips, and they can have a big impact on how comfortable a pair of glasses is to wear. On a related note, the temples of glasses are the long arms on the sides of the frame that extend from the hinge and over the ears to keep the glasses on your face.

~}i{~


	2. Chapter 1: Stoneheart

~}i{~

 **Gale-Dragon** : I ended up changing a few things the more I thought about this story, but it will hopefully work out.

~}i{~

Miraculous Tales of Ladybug, Chat Noir, and Canis. Chapter 1; Stoneheart.

~}i{~

During the review lesson section for the class before lunch, Adrien pulled out a folded piece of paper from his pocket and unfolded it. On it was what appeared to be a To-Do List. These were Adrien's goals to achieve while at school.

1\. Attend Public School, No Matter What Father Says.

2\. Learn About School Rules, to Avoid Getting in Trouble and Alerting Father.

3\. Eat Food in "Cafeteria" During Lunch, Be Sure to Check Blood Sugar Levels Before and After Eating.

4\. Make New Friends. Besides Chloe and Sabrina, of course.

Adrien put a check-mark on the first goal. He's currently in school, so that goal was accomplished. Now for the school rules thing... 'Asking the teacher would be a good idea, but what if she tells father...' Adrien thought, tapping his pen to his chin.

As soon as the lunch bell rang, Chloe practically by Adrien's desk as everyone gathered their things.

With a rather stuck up smile, Chloe told the other blonde, "Adrikins, I'm sooo glad you were able to come to school."

"It's good to be here Chlo," Adrien said with a small smile, but he caught some of the looks from the other classmates. None of them look too pleased. It made the model wonder why they had those looks.

Placing a hand on the model's desk, Chloe said, "Anything you need to know about school stuff, you can ask me."

Adrien thought that was perfect! Chloe was one of his best friends AND she's attended public school for years. The blonde model didn't think anything could be wrong with that.

"Mur-row."

Adrien immediately turned to the sound and saw a cat with short white fur, mismatched eyes (the right eye is yellow and the left is blue), and wearing a baby blue walking harness with a leash of the same colour attached sitting on top of the desk behind him. The cat seemed to be sizing the new boy up, or something along that line. The model has only ever seen pictures of cats, he's never seen a real-life cat before. Adrien missed the bluette behind him digging something out of her pack when he said, "Is that a cat or am I just seeing things?"

Nino scratched the cat's cheek when he said, "No dude, Miki's here. She's kinda an unofficial non-human student here at Collège Françoise Dupont. *Affectionately scratches Miki's chin*. Right, Smarty Claws? You like coming to school with Mari."

Miki nuzzled Nino's hand and meowed out, "Ruw-ow."

"Are cats allowed here?" Adrien asked cluelessly as he watched Alya try to pet the cat. The white cat's ears pressed against her head as she seemed to glare at the new girl.

Nino glanced at Adrien when he said, "Not really, but Miki's a registered therapy cat and a special tag for proof *taps one of the metal tags on the cat's collar*. She has to go where ever Marinette goes." What the other male teen didn't see because of the glasses Nino was wearing was the look of suspicion in the headphone-wearing teen's eyes. The white cat was seemed very calm during this discussion.

"Lunch, Miki," Marinette said as she slung her bag over her left shoulder while holding a small container and the baby blue leash in her right hand. The cat walked over to the edge of the desk where the humans gathering, gave the two rich blondes a glare with her mismatched eyes before jumping down to the floor and walked besides Marinette at they left the classroom.

Chloe scoffed after the other students left the classroom before saying to Adrien, "If it weren't for the fact that the kitty has the most gorgeous eyes, I would've had her chained by the door outside the class."

"Aw, come on Chlo, it can't be that bad having a cat in the classroom," Adrien said with a small smile. He liked the idea of having one of those "Class Pets" that he's read about and heard from the other models that had attended school. Plus, the kitty was pretty.

Chloe didn't have much of a rebuttal to that, so she simply said, "Well, it makes my class more unique. *Takes Adrien's hand*. I'll show you the cafeteria, just don't expect to find anything that's to my standards."

Adrien rolled his eyes in amusement as Chloe hauling him out of the classroom, Sabrina happily followed behind them.

}i{

"Great, we're going to have another bully in the class," Alix drawled in annoyance as she waited in the lunch line to get her lunch with Kim and Max.

Max pushed his glasses up when he said, "Alix, as much as I can understand your line of thinking, I do have to point out that we have only just met him and have yet to interact with him. Therefore, we do not have the proper information to conclude that Adrien is indeed a bully like Chloe." But, even the blind teen had to admit that the odds were not in a positive favour.

Kim scratched his head when he said, "Yeah, I guess we can give him a chance, but... Does anyone else find him familiar? Because I sware that I've seen the guy before."

Max thought about that for a bit before he said, "Well, I cannot comment on his appearance, but his name does sound familiar... Markov, do you recall if Miss Bustier said Adrien's family name?"

Only ten seconds passed before Max heard a ding by his ears and then Markov told him, "She did. Adrien's family name is Agreste."

"Thanks, Markov," Max said as he took a food tray as he and his friends got to that section of the line. The tray stack was in the same location as last year, so the blind teen didn't have to feel around for it.

"What did Markov say?" Kim asked as he eyed the food for anything he liked.

"Agreste," Max replied before asking what was on the menu.

"Did you say Agreste?" Now Marinette joined the group, more to grab a bowl of the pasta salad before she sat at her usual table, where Miki was currently sitting at, and eating the food she brought from home. The autistic girl usually got the pasta salad and saved it for later when she stayed on campus for a long time.

Max nodded when he said, "Yes, Markov just told me that Adrien's family name is Agreste. Does that name mean anything to you?" Everyone got their food and started heading to the table where Miki was patiently waiting.

Marinette pulled her phone out of her pocket, opened an app, and tapping the screen when said, "Anyone who follows the fashion industry knows the name "Agreste". It's the family name of the founder and owner of the "Gabriel" brand, Gabriel Agreste. He's one of the biggest fashion designers in France. Ah! Found it... Wait... That's the new guy..." She then showed the picture of Adrien modelling next to his father and article on her phone to the teens at her table.

Kim read the article line out loud, more so Max could hear the information, "Adrien Agreste, Gabriel Agreste's only child, takes the modelling world by storm as he shows off his father's latest designs with poise and style. It's safe to say that fashion is really in the Agreste family blood as this duo rocks the Paris catwalk... Huh, so the new guy's a model for his father's fashion company?"

Alya groaned when she said, "Oh great. Daddy's rich AND friends with that Chloe girl, that's just a formula for trouble."

"I kind of thought that I was mishearing his family name since I was reading a different article about Gabriel Agreste last night, but I guess that was my mistake," Marinette said as she placed a few pieces of fish meat on a small plate and placed it on the table bench so Miki could eat the fish. The cat twitched her tail happily before she started munching on the fish.

As the group continued to eat and talk, Chloe, Adrien, and Sabrina strode into the cafeteria. The model was awestruck by the sight of the cafeteria. There were so many other students, all chatting and eating with one another. It was just... So amazing to Adrien.

To Chloe and Sabrina, this was just a normal day. They then brought Adrien to the food line to see what was available. To the model, it was like he was looking at a mini buffet.

"Whoa, Do lunches here always have this much food available?" Adrien asked his childhood friend in aw.

Sabrina was the one to answer, "Yes, because of all the students here. The school has a wide variety of food and they alternate the menu daily, to keep things interesting."

Adrien was amazed at this when he asked, "Really? The menu changes every day?"

"Only the main dishes, some of the side dishes are kept the same," Sabrina said as she picked up the weekly cafeteria menu off a nearby counter for new students and handed it to Adrien, who accepted it and immediately read it. This was all so fascinating to the model.

Adrien pulled out his phone and quickly tapped on the app connected to his insulin pump. The app allowed the model to quickly check his blood sugar without pricking himself and it gave him results in an average of 3 seconds. 'Okay, my blood sugar's good, so I can try the food!' Adrien thought with a smile. The model then glanced at his companions when he asked, "So what's good to eat here?"

}i{

As lunch was coming to an end, Adrien checked his blood sugar. The insulin pump just activated and administered the right amount of insulin needed for him to properly break-down the sugar in the food he'd just ate. So Adrien should be fine as he gulped his water. As they digested, Chloe told Adrien all the school rules, or rather, her variation of the school rules. Though the blonde model didn't know that.

"Now Adrikins, for the most important school rule," Chloe continued with all the "school rules" to Adrien. The blonde girl finally said, "To stay on top of the popularity ladder, you have to make sure that others know that you are the boss."

Adrien blinked in confusion before he asked, "Aren't the teachers in charge in school?" The model didn't quite understand this weird 'Rule', or at least the reason behind having it in place.

Chloe gave an 'Oh-you're-too-sweet' laugh before she said, "Oh, Adrikins, you have sooo much to learn about school."

Though Adrien was used to Chloe being Chloe, he still wasn't sure about what she was telling him. What was the big deal with proving popularity? As far as Adrien was aware of, school was for learning and making friends... At least, that's what he thought.

That was when Chloe happened to glance up at the table where Marinette, Alya, Alix, Kim, Max, and Miki were sitting at. The blonde bully then saw the blind teen stand up and tell the others something before he grabbed his cane and started walking towards the food line with his tray in hand. 'Oh? Perfect,' Chloe thought when she realized that Max was heading in her direction. Chloe got Adrien's attention when she said with a smile/smirk, "I'll give you a demonstration of what I mean about showing who's boss."

Something about that look on Chloe's face seems to make Adrien's stomach queasy for some reason. The model then saw his childhood friend and the orangette turn their attention towards a dark-skinned teen with tinted glasses, green shirt, tan & brown checkered jeans, holding his food tray with one hand and using a white cane with the other hand. The blonde male recognized him as one of his classmates. Adrien raised a brow as he wondered why the teen was using a cane, then he wondered what Chloe planned to do.

Sabrina handed Chloe a yellow laminated folder with sparkles. Adrien wasn't sure what that could be used for besides holding papers. The model watched as the blonde bully waited for the dark-skinned teen to get closer to their table. Chloe smirked as she quickly slipped the laminated folder onto the ground after the cane swept by, right in front of the teen's feet. Adrien was sure that the other teen saw all this happening and figured that he would easily avoid the yellow laminated folder.

Adrien was very wrong.

The sound of a surprised shout, then the sound of someone hitting the floor, hard, and lastly the sounds of a tray clanking against the ground echoed throughout the cafeteria. Everyone turned towards the noise and saw Max on the ground, in pain, and whatever was left on his fallen tray was scattered on both the floor and on his person. Adrien quickly rushed to the fallen teen's side by running around the table he was sitting at and asked, "Are you okay?" The model placed a hand on the other teen's arm.

That was when Max heard Chloe and Sabrina laugh as the blonde bully giggled out, "I'd say you should watch where you're going, but we all know you can't." Chloe continued to laugh. Adrien was utterly dumbfounded at what his childhood friend's action. He knew Chloe could be a little selfish and a bit rude, but this was flat out mean. It horrified Adrien to see her act like this. That was when the bully said as if what happened was completely normal, "This is how you show who's boss, Adrikins."

Angered at what was just said, Max shoved Adrien away when he snapped, "Of course, you were in on it! Seems like I was mistaken about giving you a chance to prove yourself! Now I know you're just as bad as Chloe!"

Those words hurt the teen model. Adrien tried to reach out towards the fallen teen when he said, "No! I didn't do anything! Y-you just slipped! Here, let me help you."

"You helped enough!" Max snapped as he placed his other hand on the ground to give himself some leverage to stand, only to feel part of the laminated folder he slipped on. He moved his hand and picked the object up. 'Accident? 'Yeah right', as Kim would say,' The blind teen thought in anger as he tossed the folder to where he heard the new boy.

"Hey!" Adrien gasped as the folder hit him, not that it hurt or anything, it just startled him. Another thing that Adrien notice was that the fallen teen never looked at him when he talked. Since the model's father always stressed the notion that people had to look others in the eyes when speaking to them, the actions of the dark-skinned teen seemed strange to Adrien. Kim, Alix, Marinette, and Miki were by Max's side before Adrien could even ask the fallen teen why he wasn't looking at him.

"You alright, Max?" Kim asked his friend as he moved to help him up. The athlete moved the blind teen's right arm on his own right arm as he wrapped his left around Max's back while Marinette went to the blind teen's other side to add the extra help. Miki nudged the bluette's legs, making sure her anxiety levels remained low. Both Marinette and Kim carefully eased Max into standing, letting the blind teen use them for support. The taller teen felt his stomach knot when he saw the smaller teen winced in pain as he moved. Marinette gingerly rubbed Max's back, trying to help him calm down a bit.

Alix cracked her knuckles, staring down at Adrien when she said, "As much as I wanna punch you for your antics, my friend needs to get to the nurse's office. No thanks to you." With that, Alix followed Kim, Marinette, and Miki as he helped Max out of the cafeteria.

Adrien watched the group leave, eyes filled with sadness. This was not how he wanted the day to go. That was when he noticed that everyone in the cafeteria was staring at him, some with disgust and some with confusion. Either way, Adrien was going to give Chloe a piece of his mind about this whole thing. That was when he noticed the white cane that was laying on the ground next to the table he was sitting at. Adrien picked up the cane before he left the cafeteria.

As much as he wanted to talk to Chloe about what she did, Adrien wanted to do that in private and he wanted to apologies to the dark-skin teen.

}i{

Good thing Adrien had a free class after lunch because he got lost trying to find the nurse's office. 'I probably should've asked someone about where the nurse was,' Adrien thought to himself as he glanced into the library. The model sighed. This was not how he wanted today to go.

"Mind if I ask you some questions, dude?" a voice from behind Adrien asked. The model turned to see his seatmate from class. The other teen was wearing his signature red cap, headphones, brown glasses, and a visible frown.

Adrien turned fully to the other when he said, "Sure, uh..." That was when he realized that he didn't know his seatmate's name.

"Nino," the red-caped teen said, before adding, "Nino Lahiffe."

"Adrien Agreste," the model responded immediately.

Nino folded his arms when he said, "Yeah, I know. Miss Bustier introduced you when you came in today." Now Adrien was feeling a little self-conscious. Nino then glanced at the white cane in hand before looked back up at the model and said, "That cane belongs to Max."

Adrien glanced at the cane before saying, "Yeah, I saw him holding it. I... Wanted to return it to him and apologizes for... Uh, what happened."

Nino raised a brow when he asked, "You really aren't going to say that it was Chloe was who did it?" Adrien looked at Nino with a shocked expression on his face. The red-capped teen huffed when he stated, now with his fists on his hips, "Why are you so surprised? Chloe likes to brag about her "Custom" stuff, so I've seen her use that sparkling folder. Plus her reaction practically screamed that she did it. *Now gives the model a serious look*. Why did you take the blame for her? She's been nothing but a bully since she started here. And bullying is against the school rules. Heck, her name in pretty much on the 'Permanent Detention list' because of her bullying behaviour."

"Bullying?" Adrien asked rather cluelessly.

Nino huffed when he replied, "Yeah, and you wanna know often her father comes to school because the principal calls him for meeting for Chloe's bad behaviour? And how many times he tells Mr Damocles that he'll "Have a talk with Chloe to work on her behaviour"? Last year, was a new record of at LEAST twice a week throughout the year. Did anything change? No! She still bullies everyone, especially Mari and Max!"

Adrien was shocked at what he was hearing. He practically stuttered out in disbelief, "No, n-no, she can't be... I mean... She can be a little selfish and rude sometimes, b-but she wouldn't outright bully anyone. I've known her since we were babies, sh-she wouldn't do such a thing! Not on purpose."

Nino frowned again when he retorted as he folded his arms once again, "Oh really? What about that slip-and-slide with Max? Or did her folder just magically appeared under his feet?"

Adrien was very quiet at this. Then again, how could he respond to that statement? Adrien, himself, had witness Chloe place the laminated folder in Max's way, knowing full well that he would slip on it. The model glanced at the cane in his hands again when he asked in a rather crestfallen tone, "So... What Chloe did during lunch is... Bullying? And bullying is against school rules?" Did Chloe... Lie to him?

Nino raised a brow at the tone the other teen used when he answered, "Uh, yeah, it's in the Student Handbook. There's pretty much a whole chapter on bullying in the handbook. All new students receive one when they enrol at our school... Didn't you get one when you were accepted here?" The red-capped teen thought that was unusual, the school always made sure all new students got a Student Handbook before they started.

"What's a student handbook?" Adrien asked in both confusion and that crestfallen tone.

That answers that.

Nino dropped his arms to the side, eyes and mouth slightly opened when he said, "You said you've been friends with Chloe since you were babies, does that mean you've been going to the same schools as her up to four years ago?" The question was worded so the model would answer the real question Nino wanted to be answered.

Adrien shook his head when he said, "No, I've been homeschooled my whole life. Chloe's parents and my parents are good friends, so we saw each other often. Todays... Today's my very first day in public school with others my age... So... I-I don't really know about the school rules... Chloe... Said she would tell me them... But... I-I guess she... She lied to me about them..."

Nino's mouth dropped open and his eyes widened. 'Oh, God, I need to tell Miss Bustier about this,' the red-capped teen thought as he rubbed the back of his neck before telling Adrien, "Listen, dude, I guess... This is a little hard for you to swallow, but it's the truth... I'm kinda sorry you had to find out like that. I really am." That was the truth.

Adrien sighed softly before asking, "Do you think... You can tell me the real school rules? And maybe why she's bullying Mari and Max so much?"

Nino rubbed the back of his neck again when he said, "Dude, I think it would be better to let a teacher tell you the school rules. I'm sure Miss Bustier would be happy to help you with that, and she'll probably get you a Student handbook too." As Nino stopped rubbing his neck, he said, "And only friends can call Marinette "Mari". No offence, but I don't think you should call her that right now. She's the one who was sitting behind you in class, the one with the cat. And Max is the owner of that cane *points to the white cane in the blonde's hand*. Um, might be a good idea if I return the cane. There's a good chance that Kim and Alix won't let you near Max, or explain your side of the story. Knowing Mari, she'd probably lock you out of the nurse's office and won't let you in."

Yeah, Adrien remembered the three (plus the cat) that helped the dark-skinned teen, and he remembered how they gave him the evil eye. They wouldn't let someone who they thought hurt their friend near said friend. In a way, Adrien felt both glad and jealous to witness such friendship. Glad that he can see how other's friendships are and jealous that he didn't have that kind of friendship, which felt even worse now that he knew Chloe was purposefully hurting others. 'Why would she do such a thing?' Adrien wondered to himself.

Nino quickly sent a text while Adrien was lost in thought. Once he was done with that, he got Adrien's attention and told him that he'll take him to the nurse's office and try to act as a mediator between him, Kim, and Alix. Adrien liked the sound of that.

}i{

A few seconds later, Miss Bustier got a text on her school cell. Since there was still time before the next class, the teacher checked the message. 'From Nino?' Caline Bustier thought with a raised brow. While her class had her work cell, via the class register, it was a rarity that they texted her. Called every so often, yes. Texting, maybe once in a blue moon or if they wanted to know if she had free time to talk about certain things that might not want to be overheard. Nino was one of those blue moon texters. The teacher opened the message and read it to herself.

The text read, 'Miss Bustier, you need to talk to Adrien when you get the chance and before he leaves today. He admitted that he doesn't know what a student handbook is, since he's been homeschooled his entire life, and Chloe apparently told him "School Rules" that might get him into trouble with the other student. Which has already happened, check with the cafeteria staff. Right now Adrien is kind of suffering from whiplash after realizing that his childhood friend, Chloe, is the school's bully. I think he's still in the denial stage. I'm going to try to help mend what happened in the cafeteria between Adrien and Max at the nurse's office, I know it's not going to fix things right away but it'll help Adrien understand how things work here. P.S. Chloe was the one who started the incident in the cafeteria, not Adrien. He wouldn't admit to it until I told him I knew Chloe was behind it, he didn't even want to admit that his childhood friend was being a bully. I kind of feel sorry for him, but please talk to him about the real school rules. He NEEDS that talk.'

Caline had to read the text again. Was this really from Nino? The wording was rather serious and concerned, but the red-capped teen was rather laid back and casual even with his texting. She then quickly checked the contact number attached to the text. The text was from Nino alright... Caline took a deep breath, and then slowly let it out. It hasn't even been a full day since school started and there's already a bullying issue with Chloe. Well, two issues. Purposely misleading a fellow student about events, locations, and rules was a form of bullying.

Caline pinched the bridge of her nose. If Nino was right about both these issues, then Mr Damocles is going to have to call the mayor of Paris about his daughter's bullying behaviour, again.

}i{

"Nothing too serious, but the bruises are going to be stinging for a while," the on-site doctor told Max after looking him over. The medic then added, "I'll get you some ice pads to help with the easing the pain." The medic then went through the medical supplies for the ice packs, while keeping an eye on the bluette as she re-organized the stuff on the counters. Not that the medic didn't trust the Autistic girl, it was just to make sure they knew where she was moving everything. Miki was sitting in the medic's chair since she wasn't allowed on the medical beds unless Marinette was in one.

Max was currently sitting on one of the medical beds in the nurse's office, still covered in aches and pains from his fall. The blind teen gently rubbed on of his throbbing bruises on his arm as he thought about how school just started and there was already bullying. Sadly, people tripping Max wasn't anything new.

Max heard Alix cracking her knuckles again when she said, "Next PE class that involves getting physical, I'm going to pound model boy to the ground."

"Get in line, because I'm going to pound him first," Kim retorted with an angry huff.

Alix snorted a laugh when she said, "Kim, that sounded wrong."

Kim raised a brow and then asked cluelessly, "What sounded wrong?" This caused Alix to groan in annoyance.

The doctor heard this, understanding the quip, and said, "Perhaps you should just say that you will 'Hit' this model boy rather than 'Pound'. It's less likely to cause any misunderstandings."

Kim was still clueless while Alix shook her head with a 'Typical' expression on her face as if she expected this. Max and Marinette, meanwhile, didn't quite understand why the word usage 'sounded wrong'. The word 'Pound' was being used in the same context as the word 'Hit', so why did using 'Pound' sounded wrong?

The doctor then added in good humour, "Also, it might not be a good idea to threaten about hurting another student in the presence of a member of the school staff." Then gave Max a few ice packs. The blind teen immediately applied them to his bruises, it stung a bit because of the sudden cold temperature but then it started to ease into relief. Kim and Alix did give a sheepish smile at the doctor's comment before they turned their attention to Max.

"Feeling better, Max?" Marinette asked, placing a comforting hand on the smaller boy's shoulder from behind the med-bed. She finished alphabetizing the medication bottles, so now she was checking on her classmate.

Max nodded before saying, "A bit, but I do wish that it didn't happen in the first place..."

Alix plopped next to Max when she said, "Pft, well, we know it's not your fault. Honestly, the school would be a better place if they'd just kick Chloe out."

"Agreed, everything would be better if she didn't come here," Marinette replied as she sat on the bed on the opposite side Max and Alix were sitting on.

Max sighed when he said, "Sadly, the 'Mayor of Paris' personally voids all the expulsion paperwork that would expel his daughter from the school. Mr Damocles is less than thrilled every time it happens because Chloe isn't learning any lessons when her father practically pardoning her bad behaviour."

Kim raised a brow when he asked, "How would you know that? I mean, we all know your one of the smartest people in school, but how would you know that particular fact?"

Max took a deep breath before saying, "Mr Damocles has to keep the family of the bullied updated on the progress of their case, or cases... So he had to tell mom, and I overheard... While he remained professional, he still sounded disappointed by the outcome... I have already calculated that there is an 89.25% chance that Mr Damocles has already reported this abuse of power by the mayor to the school board, multiple times."

Alix flopped back onto the med-bed, just missing colliding with the bluette, when she grumbled out, "Somehow, I can believe that... The guy's a good mayor but he's completely idiotic when it comes to that brat daughter of his."

Marinette glanced down at the pinkette when she said, "There's no denying that. I like him when he's doing his job as mayor since he is good at it, but I hate the fact that he's Chloe's father and lets her get away with stuff she needs to be punished for." That seemed to be the consensus of the group.

The doctor heard the whole thing and completely sympathized with the principle and students about this whole ordeal. The doctor has even helped in the bullying cases by documenting all the injuries that are sustained by the victims. The doctor sighed softly, the only thing the principle can do that can circumvent the "Mayor of Paris" is the mandatory detentions that are given to students who bully their fellow students. The bullying can easily be proven to the school staff due to the security cameras inside and outside the school building, minus the restrooms for obvious reasons.

A soft knock was heard from the doorway. The doctor, Kim, Marinette, and Alix turned towards the door. Miki ears perked at the sound and turned her attention on the doorway. The skater girl shot up to get a better view of the doorway. Nino was standing in the doorway with Max's cane in hand.

"Hey, dudes and dudettes," Nino said with a wave before lowering his hand a bit before asking, "I'm not interrupting anything, am I?"

The doctor shrugged before saying, "I would've closed the door if it were important."

Nino nodded before turning his attention to Kim, Alix, Marinette, and Max. The red-capped teen held out the white cane when he said, "Max, you forgot your cane in the cafeteria."

"Oh, I guess I did..." Max said softly as Kim took the cane.

That was when Kim spotted Adrien peeking in out of the corner of his eyes. The athlete frowned, narrowed his eyes, and asked through his teeth, "What's HE doing here!"

Adrien made a slightly unflattering squeak at the tone of the other.

Max turned towards the sounds and he felt Alix jump off the bed, and allowing Markov to use the camera to identify that it was Adrien near the doorway. The AI used the speakers on the glasses to say, "Kim, your rightist anger is directed at the wrong individual. Chloe is the one who you should direct it at."

Alix turned to the AI's dock with a raised brow when she asked, "What do you mean Markov?"

Marinette couldn't help but say, "I think he's implying that Chloe's behind the whole incident. *Sarcastically*, Big surprise there."

"Markov?" Adrien asked, looking in fully into the nurse's office. He then asked in confusion, "And where did that voice come from? It doesn't sound like Max at all."

Nino patted Adrien on the shoulder when he explained, "Markov is the name of the AI that Max created. He mostly lives in the glasses Max wears."

Adrien blinked cluelessly before asking, "What's an AI?"

"Artificial Intelligence," nearly everyone in the nurse's office replied, much to Adrien's surprise and confusion.

Markov used the speaker when he said, "I have reviewed the actions and facts that were involved in Max's fall. The actions of Adrien proves that he was too far from Max to place the laminated folded, which has been used by Chloe in the past, in a location where Max could slip on it. Proof being that Adrien raced AROUND the table to get to Max, while Chloe was in a better position to purposefully drop her folder in front of Max. Although, I cannot find a logical reason as to why Adrien would hide the fact that Chloe was the one responsible."

Adrien glanced at the ground when he said, "She's been my only friend outside my family since we were kids... I... I wasn't aware that she... That she "bullied" anyone... Or that she was capable of it... She was always ready to defend me when she got the chance... So I... Never would've thought that she'd... Be what she... Usually defends me from..." The model was wondering how long it was going to take for this realization was going to sink in completely with him.

Neither Marinette, Kim, Alix, Nino, nor Max knew how to respond to that.

That was when Adrien looked at the cane, that was now in Kim's hands, and asked, "Can I ask why Max needs that cane? Does he have trouble walking without it?" The only people Adrien has seen that use canes were people that had some trouble keeping their balance or just had trouble walking. From what the model had observed, Max didn't seem to have a problem walking, until he fell earlier.

That was when Adrien realized that everyone in the nurse's office was staring at him with a disbelieving look, minus Max, who just had his eyebrows furrowed in confusion. While the model was used to people staring at him because he was, well, a model, but he wasn't use to these particular stares. "What?" Adrien asked, very clueless to what was happening around him.

Nino was the first to snap out of the trance and asked with a raised brow, "Dude, you don't know what that particular cane signifies?" As he pointed at the white cane in the taller teen's hands.

Adrien shrugs when he said, "It's a cane, is it suppose to stand for something?"

The doctor rubbed their chin when they said, "That particular cane is designed to aid individuals that are blind or legally blind. Though, a white cane with a red tip stands for legally blind while a pure white cane stands for completely blind." The medical personal felt that something was off about the blonde boy's knowledge.

"I'm going to have to take your word for it doctor," Max said with a small smile. Since Max was born blind, he never knew what colours where. He was more understanding about using colour names in certain expressions, to an extent (ie, green living, red hearts, black spades, sunshine yellow, that kind of thing).

Adrien blinked in complete confusion when he said, "But... Nino told me on the way here that Max was one of the smartest ones in our class, he can't be blind. And it doesn't explain why he needs a cane to help him."

While Marinette was confused by the wording of that sentence, the doctor stepped in front of Kim and Alix, more so to prevent them from acting on impulse. The doctor then asked Adrien in a calm tone, "Adrien, right? *Adrien nods*. May I ask what you think the word 'Blind' means?" This was more so that the doctor can prevent any gross misunderstanding and a possible fist-fight.

While Adrien was still confused by this whole thing, he answered the question honestly, "Um, I think it means 'stupid'. I mean, that's how my father uses it and I heard a lot of the other models use it the same way."

This time, Marinette was the one to stop Kim and Alix from outright attacking Adrien.

That sentence was rather concerning to the doctor. The medical staff then asked, "Can you give an example of what you mean by that? Just tell us what sentences your father and your co-workers use when they use the word 'Blind'." That question was to gauge just how the model believed that the word 'Blind' meant something different altogether.

Adrien thought for a bit with a confused look on his face before he finally said, "Um, well, my father uses the phrase "What are you blind?" a lot when he's critiquing design and "You have to be blind to use that pallet" with colour choices, and the other models I work with mostly say "You have to be blind or something," when they feel insulted. Are those good sentence examples?" That was when Adrien heard annoyed grumbles from the other teens in the room.

The doctor placed a caring hand on Adrien's shoulder when they explained gently, "Adrien, your father and your co-workers are not only using the word 'Blind' incorrectly, but they are also using it as a demeaning insult when it is not."

"They... Are?" Adrien asked, now both intrigued and surprised by what the doctor is saying.

The doctor nodded with a sad smile when they said, "Yes, they are, and they are using it in a way that demeans someone with a disability."

Adrien paled slightly at that when he squeaked out, "R-really?" Has he... Unknowingly been insulting others with a disability?

The doctor nodded when they said, "Yes, really."

That was when Max carefully took his tinted glasses off, revealing his pale brown eyes, stood up after removing the ice packs, and stated, "The word 'Blind' basically means that a person is unable to see with their eyes. Most people are blind because of an injury, a disease, or a congenital condition (1). For me, it's congenital since I was born blind."

Adrien... Didn't know how to react to this. Not only did he learn the real meaning of a word, but he was also properly meeting someone who embodies said word. "You... You can't see?... At all?" was all Adrien could get out as he took a step closer to the blind teen.

Max shook his head when he said, "I have never 'seen' anything my whole life." Adrien was still in disbelief as he walked over to Max and slowly waved a hand in front of the dark-skinned teen's face. While he didn't make any indication that he saw the hand, Max sighed a bit before saying, "Normally, I find the antic of waving a hand in front of my face 100% annoying, but given that you were unaware of this particular disability, I'll make an exception."

Adrien jumped back when he asked in shock, "Wait! If you can't see, how did you know I was doing it?"

Max chuckled when he said, "Your hands have a lotion scent on your hand. It smells nice."

Adrien quickly brought the hand he'd just used to wave in front of the other teen's face to his own nose and sniffed it. His hands did have a faint scent to it from his lotion. That was when the model remembered that he did apply his usual hand lotion this morning, his favourite brand too.

Kim rubbed the back of his neck when he said, "Well, I guess we can forgive you for the skit in the cafeteria, *now folds arms in front of his chest* but that doesn't mean we're just going to be all buddy/buddy. You still have to prove that you're not a bully like Chloe." Alix and Marinette nodded in agreement.

Adrien gave a small smile when he said, "I guess that's fair."

~}i{~

As the day wore on, Adrien has... Witnessed more of how much of a bully Chloe is at school... And he wasn't liking it, not at all. He was truly confused by the behaviour of his childhood friend. 'How could be so protective of me from bullies when she herself is a bully?' Adrien thought as he watched Chloe say something to the tall, bulky teen. Ivan, if Adrien remembers his name correctly. And whatever was said causes him to storm off in anger.

Finally, Adrien went to confront Chloe about this whole thing. He wanted answers. He wanted to know why Chloe was like this at school. He wanted to know why Chloe would purposefully hurt others. He wanted to know why his childhood friend was being a hypocrite! That word he knew all too well.

But Miss Bustier got to Chloe first before Adrien could even speak his to her.

"Chloe, the principle want to have a word with you, again," the redheaded teacher told the blonde girl in an uncharacteristically stern tone with her arms crossed in front of her chest. Miss Bustier noticed Adrien and told him, "Adrien, could you wait just a bit? I have to take Chloe to the principle's office." Without waiting for a response, the teacher placed a hand on Chloe's shoulder and pretty much pulled the protesting blonde girl towards the principle's office.

Sabrina glanced at Adrien. When she saw that the blonde model had a rather crestfallen look on his face, she asked, "Adrien, are you okay? Do you need your insulin or candy to bring your sugar up? I have some honey sticks on me. They're actually Chloe's but I'm sure she wouldn't mind sharing them with you if you need them."

Adrien glanced at the orangette before asking, "Do you know why Chloe bullies the other students here?"

"Uh," was all Sabrina got out.

}i{

Ivan Bruel stomped out of the school in anger, crumbling a piece of paper in his left hand. What Chloe had just said just pissed him off this time! She didn't know him or Mylène! 'GRR, I wish the school would do something about her! Detentions aren't going to cut it with her anymore!' Ivan fumed in anger, clenching the paper in his hand.

}i{ At the Exact Same Time. Unknown Location. }i{

A closed, round window slowly opened, allowing the light from the outside to shine into the darkroom. This caused the swarm of white butterflies to flutter around a familiar figure in the dark.

"Negative emotions, this is perfect, just what I need. Anger, sadness," Hawkmoth ranted with evil glee. He held out his hand for one of the white butterflies to land on. When the pure creature did, the figure covered it with his other hand and focused his dark energy into it, turning it black with some purple streaks on both wings. The villain then said, "Burn a hole into his heart my horrible Akuma."

The darkened butterfly fluttered off as soon as it could. Hawkmoth then said, "Fly away my little Akuma and blacken their heart!"

The darkened butterfly flew through the small opening in the window that was specifically designed for the little creature. Soon, the Akuma flew right towards its destination, its first victim.

}i{

Ivan didn't notice the Akuma flying towards him, nor did he notice that it zoomed right towards the crumpled paper in his hand, he was too distracted by his anger.

A purple outline of a butterfly appeared over Ivan's upper face as a voice spoke into his ears, "Stoneheart, I am Hawkmoth. I give you the power to protect your love ones and punish those who would harm them. In return, I ask that you help me find the Miraculous of the Ladybug and Black Cat."

A sneer appeared on Ivan's lips when he said, "Okay."

As soon as these words were spoken, a black mist festered up Ivan's arm from the blackened wadded paper ball until it completely consumed him.

}i{

Before Sabrina could get a proper answer out, the ground shook in a steady rhythm.

"What's going on?" Adrien asked, shocked and confused at the shaking ground.

"CHLOE!" a booming voice roared in anger.

Adrien and Sabrina's head whipped towards the sound only to see a huge, muscular grey rock golem with glowing yellow-green eyes moving across the school grounds. His footsteps created trimmers each time they came in contact with the ground.

"Wh-wh-what is th-th-that?!" Was all Adrien got out in fear as he pointed at the golem.

Frightened, Sabrina stuttered out, "I-I-I don't know!" The orangette then sees where the golem is heading and gasped when she said, "Oh my God! He's heading towards the principle's office! That's where Chloe is! I need to call Daddy!" With that, she whipped out her phone and then told Adrien, "I also have to call your dad too."

"Wait! Sabrina! Don't!" Adrien said frantically trying to stop the orangette from calling his father.

But it was too late, Sabrina already had Gabriel on the line and told him that Adrien was with her at school...

~}i{ With Marinette and Her Friends at the Same Time }i{~

"CHLOE!" a booming voice roared in anger.

"What the-!?" Nino vocalized as he tried to steady himself as the ground shook.

During the shaking; Alix slid a bit because she had her skates on, but Marinette kept the pinkette steady as Miki kept close to the bluette. Kim caught Max before he fell since the blind student was expecting the sudden movement of the ground. Alya was looking around for the source of the voice.

It didn't take long for them to hear the sounds of a wall being torn down and the screeching of someone echoing through the air. The group kept low to the ground as they followed the shouting, and made it to the corner of the school just in time to see the golem exited the section of the school that was the Principle's Office with a familiar-looking blonde girl in his right fist.

"Is that Chloe?" Alix asked as she and the others watched the golem walk off the campus with the bully clenched in his fist, footsteps shaking the ground each time.

"I'll make sure you won't hurt Mylène or anyone else, you bullying brat," Stoneheart stated, his voice was loud enough for the group to hear what he had said.

"That Voice! That golem has the same voice Ivan has!" Marinette said, tightening her grip on Alix a bit as the white cat jumped onto some debris to get a better look at what had happened.

"Dude! What the heck happened to him?!" Nino exclaimed in confusion as he watched Stoneheart thundering off towards the Eiffel Tower.

Alya, on the other hand, was ecstatic as she pulled her phone out and called out a checklist, "GPS, check. Battery, check. Video space, check."

Kim eyed the new girl with a raised brow when he asked, "Uh, Alya, what are you doing?"

Alya smiled when she said excitedly, "I'm going to follow that golem so I can see and record a superhero in action! *Notices the looks the others are giving her*. Come on, whenever there's a supervillain, a superhero will always appear!" With that, she bolted off, following the human-turned-golem.

"Alya!" Alix called out towards the ombre-haired girl.

Marinette couldn't stop herself from saying, "Is she crazy!? She could get hurt!" Miki meowed in response.

Nino scratched his head in frustration when he said, "Damn it! It's only the first day of school and we already have trouble!"

"30 Euros on Chloe being the cause of this whole thing," Kim commented with a frown.

That was when Max retorted, "That would be what is called a 'Sucker Bet'. But that doesn't explain what happened to Ivan got turned into a golem."

That was a good point...

Suddenly, the principal announces over the school speakers that the students needed to go home for their own safety.

~}i{ 10 Minutes Later }i{~

Nino and Alix escorted Marinette home, after calming her down over the sudden change in the school schedule. The two explained that the school wanted the students to be safe. Kim quickly brought Max home, more so to make sure that the terrain wasn't too damaged for the blind teen to navigate.

Adrien, on the other hand, was taken home by Nathalie and his bodyguard. Sabrina already apologized to the model about her call, but Adrien wasn't mad at her. He was mad at Chloe for being a hypocrite and he was mad at his father for not letting him live his life outside the gilded cage. Now Adrien could feel his sugar dropping, so he pulled both his phone and a bar of chocolate granola out of his pockets. He quickly tapped on his insulin pump app and checked his blood sugar, just to be on the safe side.

"Adrien," Nathalie vocalized in concern as she and the blonde boy sat at the dinner table waiting for Gabriel. She then said, "Please be aware of-" Adrien interrupted her by quickly flashed his phone screen at the secretary, showing her that his blood sugar was low enough to need the snack. Nathalie looked at the levels on the phone before she said, "Oh... My apologies Adrien. You're already taking care of it."

"Like I always do," Adrien snipped under his breath before biting into the chocolate granola bar. Ever since he became aware of Type One Diabetes, he's made sure he learned how to manage it. 'But it seems like Father and Nathalie haven't noticed that,' Adrien thought bitterly as he chewed on the food in his mouth before swallowing.

Gabriel walked into the dining room. His poster was stiff and rigged. He gave his son a stern glance when he said, "How many times must I tell you. You are NOT going to school."

Adrien stood up from his chair when he exclaimed, "But father!"

Gabriel held up a hand, cutting off his son when he stated sternly, "Everything you need is right here where I can keep an eye on you and keep you healthy. I will not let you outside in that dangerous world where there's too much of a chance for your blood sugar levels to go out of control."

Now Adrien was even more pissed when he snapped, "It's not dangerous, Father! I'm always stuck in here by myself, and I can manage my blood sugar levels just fine! Meaning that I don't need anyone looking over my shoulder to keep an eye on me! So why can't I go out and make friends just like everybody else?"

Gabriel stood his ground when he sternly stated, "Because you are not like everyone else! You are my son! And I want you to be safe and healthy!"

Adrien chucked the remaining granola bar at Gabriel, who managed to block the oncoming projectile, when he snapped, "If you're so keen on keeping me safe and healthy! How about you actually spend enough time with me to learn what being healthy means!" With that, he stormed off towards his room.

"Adrien!" Gabriel vocalized before losing sight of his son.

Adrien was sick and tired of having this conversation with his father. He's been trying to get Gabriel to let him attend public school for a solid month. But the business mogul stood his ground against the public school, he kept citing that there's no guaranteed that Adrien's blood sugar level could be kept under control. The blonde model just can't take the fact that his own father didn't seem to trust him to monitor his own Diabetes! Adrien has been doing very well with checking his blood sugar levels before and after he eats and any time he can feel the effects of the high and low sugar level in effect.

'Why can't Father see that?' Adrien thought bitterly as he slammed the door to his room close, then locking it.

}i{ 3 Minutes Later }i{

In the streets of Paris, the police were trying their best to stop Stoneheart. But every attempt ended in utter failure as each attack made the golem grow bigger. Chloe was screaming for someone to help her.

}i{

Marinette was watching the news feed as the battle unfolded, or rather the one-sided battle, on her computer. Miki was laying in the bluette's lap, as the teen stroked the cat. Marinette sighed worriedly when she wondered what happed to Ivan?

That was when she noticed a small black octagonal box on her desk. "What's this doing here?" Marinette asked out loud.

}i{ At the Same Time }i{

In Adrien's room, the blonde model was watching the very same news feed on his television while sipping a small cup of orange juice (he checked his blood sugar after he closed his door and it was still a little low, so he's drinking a small portion of orange juice to bring his blood sugar up a bit) with mixed emotions. On one hand, Chloe was one of his friends, but on the other hand... She was a bully...

But what caused the golem to target Chloe?

That was when Adrien noticed a small black octagonal box on the table in front of him. He then asked out loud to himself, "What's this doing here?"

}i{ Also at the Same Time }i{

Max was listening to the very same news feed as Marinette and Adrien from his room on his own computer where Markov was currently occupying as the battery on his glasses charged. The blind teen couldn't understand what had happened at school. From what he heard from his friends the golem was Ivan and he had nabbed the school bully. What Max couldn't understand was how Ivan turned into a golem in the first place. He could understand why Ivan would target Chloe, the school bully wasn't exactly subtle. Max just couldn't think of a logical reason for the strange transformation of one of his classmates.

Markov interrupted Max's thoughts by saying, "That's peculiar, that box wasn't on the desk this morning."

"Box?" Max questioned curiously with a raised brow.

"Yes," Markov stated before adding, "It is to your right, just reach your hand out and place it down."

Max did as the AI instructed, and his hand landed on a small, octagonal box. He carefully picked the little box up and ran his fingers over the object. That was when the blind teen asked out loud, "What's this doing here?"

}i{

In unison, the three teens opened the boxes. And all the inside of the boxes started to glow and startling Marinette, Miki, Adrien, and Markov. While the lights happened at the same time, they were in different colours. Marinette got red, Adrien got green, and Max got light brown (according to Markov).

The three teens had very different reactions to the little creatures that were 10 centimetres (4 inches) tall, with large heads, big eyes, and tiny bodies with stubby arms and legs.

}{

Marinette screamed when she saw the little crimson creature with dark blue eyes, and freckles across her face, resembling a ladybug, with two antennae, a large black spot on her forehead, back, and each side of her head, and a short tail with three tips aligned vertically. "Ahh! Help! It's a giant bug! A-a mouse! A-a bug-mouse! Miki! Catch it!" the bluette cried as she threw a few objects at the floating creature.

The red creature tried to calm Marinette down while avoiding the projectiles and a cat from catching her. "Listen, Marinette. I know everything may seem a bit strange to you," the little red creature said before the bluette finally traps it under a glass cup. The red creature sighs before saying, "Okay, if that makes you feel safer..." Miki tries to sniff the creature through the glass before pawing at it.

"What are you? And how do you know my name?" Marinette asked the red creature as Miki rubbed against her shoulder.

"I am a Kwami, and my name is Tikki. Now let me explain," the little red creature, Tikki said before she told the bluette what she can do.

}{

Adrien was fascinated by the small black creature with a small body and large head with a very cat-like appearance, having cat ears, a tail, two cat incisors, and green cat-like eyes, along with one whisker on his forehead and one dark blue whisker on each cheek.

But the little black Kwami then flew around Adrien's room looking for something to eat. The blonde ended up trying to chase the creature down.

(Interaction is the same as canon).

Plagg, finally captured by Adrien, then said, "Listen, kid. I'm a Kwami, I give powers. Yours is the power of destruction. Get it?" Adrien shakes his head. Plagg rolls his eyes with an annoyed groan when he said, "Alright, fine! I'll give you the load down, but you better pay attention because I'm only explaining it once."

}{

"Markov! What happened?" Max asked when he heard the AI shouting in shock.

Markov rebooted his visual centre when he said, "I am unsure. The electronic eye was overloaded by a bright light that had emitted from inside the box."

"From inside the box?" Max questioned as he felt inside the box, only to feel some kind of stiff collar neckless that was opened ended with the tips of those edges shaped like dog heads, with two rounded bead-like objects next to the dog heads, and at the front of the jewellery, there were five larger bead-like objects. Markov identified the colour of the neckless as rose gold. "A neckless?" the blind teen asked with a raised brow before telling Markov, "How would a neckless make a light to short-out your electronic eye?"

"I am unsure, the light is completely gone and there is no trace of anything that would cause any illumination," Markov stated, puzzled by the strange event.

Unbeknownst to the teen and AI, a little light brown creature around 10 centimetres (or 4 inches) tall, with a white mark around her mouth, between her eyes, and on her chest, has grey eyes, drop ears, a whisker on her forehead, a pink tongue, and a tail that curves upwards was floating in front of them. The Kwami was a little confused by the lack of reaction to her sudden appearance. Well, maybe not from the camera gizmo, since Kwamis don't show up in pictures or videos, but the human didn't seem to realize that she was floating right in front of him.

So the Kwami let herself be known by saying, "Hello, Max!"

Max froze at the sudden voice. He then asked the AI, "Markov, should mom be home?"

Markov quickly pulled up the train conductor's schedule before saying, "Negative. According to today's train schedule, she is currently conducting the Northern France Route today."

"So then... Who's voice was that when we know it wasn't either of us?" Max asked in a slightly panicked tone as his left hand slowly moved to grip his cane.

The Kwami gave a huff when she said, "How rude! I'm floating right in front of you and you're not even acknowledging me!"

Max leapt out of his chair, causing the box to fall onto the table counter, holding his cane like a baseball bat when he commanded Markov to do a quick scan of his room. The AI did as he was told before saying, "Only you and I are in the room, Max... Inquiry, did you leave your speaker on your phone or computer functional?"

Max gripped his cane tighter when he said, "Markov, you are using my computer speaker and my phone would've rung if someone was calling me before I put them on speaker." He was getting spooked. There was an unknown voice speaking within his room with no logical source. Was there a literal ghost in his house?

The dog-like Kwami was puzzled by the actions of the human. The way her new chosen was acting, it was like he couldn't- Oh...

"Hey, Pup," The Kwami said, making Max jump and nearly swinging his cane where he heard the voice. That was when the little diety asked, "You're blind, right?"

"I am," Max stated before gripping his cane a little tighter when he said, "And this isn't funny, whoever you are, now come on out or I'll have Markov call the police."

"I have their number in my contact list," that AI stated clearly.

That made the Kwami act. "No! No! No! Don't call them! Or anyone else! No one is supposed to know I exist! I'm supposed to be kept a secret!" the Kwami explained, trying to prevent her new chosen from blowing this whole thing.

"Why?" Max asked, lowering his cane a bit before questioning, "Is the reason the fact that Markov cannot detect your presents? Or how you got into my house without anyone knowing?"

"Max, hold out your hand," the Kwami said before adding, "I'll tell you everything you need to know."

While hesitant, Max did as he was told. He timidly released his right hand from the cane he held and held it out. The Kwami floated towards the open palm and gently landed on Max's hand before sitting on it to give the teen a sense at to her size. Now curious, Max placed his cane next to his desk before he used his left hand to feel the little Kwami in his palm. The blind teen was a little confused as to why a little toy was dropped into his hand until the 'toy' moved.

As the little Kwami spoke, she also wrote on Max's palm to prove it was her talking, when she said, "My name is Barkk and I am a Kwami. I can grant you the power of Sound. All you need to do is wear the Dog Miraculous and say the transformation phrase and you can become a hero."

"Dog Miraculous? You mean the neckless in the box?" Max asked as Barkk floated off his palm.

Barkk nodded, out of habit, when she said, "Yes, and to answer as to why your gadget do-hickey can't see me, Kwamis cannot be captured on pictures or film."

That was when Markov said, "Ah, so "Kwamis" have a built-in surface reflector that causes the light to bend around them when looking through a lens of a camera." Doing his best to put some kind of logical analysis on this. The AI then added, "And my name is Markov, an Artificial Intelligence that Max had built and programmed."

The news feed then sounded an alert to say indoors due to a rampaging golem. Barkk scratched her head when she said, "Urg, explain all this technical stuff to me after we stop that Akuma! Put the Miraculous on!"

Max quickly moved to his desk and felt around for the neckless and he made sure to grab his glasses with Markov after he found the Miraculous.

}i{

Marinette put on the Ladybug Earrings, making her glad that she got her ears pierced, when she recapped, "Okay, so I have to break the object that the Akuma thing is hiding in, then I need to encapture it to purify it with my weapon, which is a yo-yo. I have a superpower called a Lucky Charm, that I use so I can activate the Miraculous Healing, which will fix everything afflicted by the Akuma. I am also not allowed to tell anyone about you or the Miraculous. Is that correct?"

Tikki nodded when she said, "That's correct, now all you need to do is say the transformation phrase. "Spots On" to transform and "Spots Off" to turn back."

Marinette glanced at Miki, who leapt onto the nearby desk and glanced back at the Kwami. The bluette then asked, "What about Miki? She has to go where I go, to help keep my anxiety down. I get panic attacks when my anxiety gets too high."

Tikki smiled when she said, "Don't worry, Miki will come along, just not in the way you think."

Nervously, Marinette finally said, "All right... Tikki, Spots On."

With that, Tikki was drawn into the deep red earrings, turning them bright red with five black symmetrical dots. And then the real magic happened. A red mask with five symmetrical dots appeared on the upper half of Marinette's face, her hair ties holding his twin-tails in place became ribbons that were almost as long as her now elbow long hair, her clothes were then replaced with a red breathable, slightly loose bodysuit with black spots in a quincunx pattern and a loose black collar/turtleneck (Quick note; most individuals on the Autism Spectrum are sensitive to touch stimulus and tend to avoid tight fighting clothing, so no skin-tight bodysuit for this Ladybug). The yo-yo was currently wrapped around her waist.

Another amazing transformation was happening right next to Marinette. Miki stood on her hind legs to swat at the sparkles flying off her person only to have her front limbs morph into wings, her tail grew feathers and shortened a bit, her hind legs morphed into talons, her fur became feathers, her whiskers and cat ears disappeared, her nose turned into a beak, and the white feathers turned black with some scattered red feathers decorated her body.

"Oh my! Miki?! Is that you?!" Marinette gasped out when her transformation finished as she saw a black bird (a Raven, to be a little more accurate on her new size and shape) in place of her cat.

"Kaw!" the back and red bird vocalized. "Kaw?" The cat-turned-bird vocalized in confusion before turning her attention towards the full body mirror as saw her refection. "RAAWK!" the bird squawked out as she puffed her feathers up to look big, only to realize that the bird in the mirror did the same thing she was doing. Miki tilted her head to the side as she opened her 'wings', and looked at them before looking back at the mirror. She then looked up at Marinette with bright green eyes when she said, "Kaw?"

Marinette shrugged when she said, "Yeah, I don't understand how you changed species, but at least no one is going to find out my identity... Umm, you going to be able to move?"

Miki took a few practice steps on her new legs, seeing that she has more control than she thought, she hoped, then leapt. She then tested out her wings, flapping them a few times. Miki then looked up at Marinette and tilted her head to the side.

Marinette placed a hand to her chin, to ponder this strange transformation before the news caught her attention. "Yikes! If we're going to save Paris, you're going to have to learn to fly in the field!" the new superhero said before scooping the cat-turned-bird into her arms as she climbed to the balcony of her room. She carefully tucked Miki under her left arm as she grabbed a hold of her yo-yo with her right. Marinette gave a few tests with the yo-yo before she flung it in the direction she needed to go. She gripped her critter close when she said, "Hang on tight, Miki."

With that, the yo-yo pulled the two toward the Eiffel Tower.

}i{

Adrien on the other hand, or paw, in this case, was more than excited to learn that he was going to be a superhero. But he had a few things that he needed to do first.

"Okay, got everything I need, now tell me how to turn into a superhero!" Adrien said excitedly.

Plagg looked over the stuff the blonde model gathered. Some granola bars, two bottles of water, and a small insulin kit (more in case Adrien's insulin pump malfunctions or is broken during a fight). The black Kwami really should've asked his chosen why he needed this stuff, but there was an Akuma on the loose that needed to be stopped. "Say "Claws Out" to transform into a hero, and "Claws In" to turn back. Just remember to use the Cataclysm as a last resort, you'll turn back to you five minutes after you use it," Plagg said, rather excited to finally getting some action after all these years.

After he placed his stuff into a khaki pack and put it on his back, Adrien excitedly said, "Plagg, Claws Out!" With those words spoken, Plagg was pulled into the white right and turned it black with a neon green paw print.

When Adrien transformed, he gained cat eyes with green sclerae, dark green irises and oval pupils. His hair becomes longer and untamed and it covers his normal ears with a few black highlights randomly scattered and with black cat ears on the top of his head and a black mask around the upper half of his face. His clothes turned into a textured black skin-tight catsuit with metal details with matching gloves that have claws on the fingertips and boots with a hidden wedge, silver toes, and paw-shaped treads. A golden bell appeared around his neck, connected to a zipper on the front of his costume, and a long belt that wraps around his waist and hangs out from the back like a tail. His pack turn black and became one with the suit with the zipper to open it on the right side by his waist.

Adrien looked himself over after his transformation in a mirror. He smiled at his reflection when he said to himself, "Pur-fect! Now no one will know who I am, not even Father!" The cat-themed hero smirked as he snuck out of his house to go fight the Akuma thing that Plagg told him about.

}i{

Max checked the Miraculous around his neck. He was not used to wearing stuff like this, so he wasn't sure if he had it on right.

"Okay, you got it on," Barkk said with a smile. It's been a long while since she had a blind chosen, but she'll do her best to make this partnership work, even if she wasn't sure about the AI thing being apart of this.

Max nodded as he adjusted his glasses and asked, "Alright, so how am I suppose to make this work? And is Markov going to be able to help me navigate through the city?"

"I concur with the inquiries," Markov vocalized through the glasses speaker. He then explains, "It is one of my core programs to ensure that Max travels from place to place safely and I am unsure how I can assist while he acts as a hero."

Barkk wasn't sure how she could explain this question but did her best when she said, "The Miraculous will help, but even I don't know how. And we don't have time! We need to get to that Akuma before things get worse!" Max and Markov knew the voice had a point. Barkk quickly explained, "To transform into a hero you say, "Barkk, Howl" to turn back say "Barkk, Heel". Your special ability is called "Sonic Howl", but be aware that when you use it you'll turn back to your civilian form five minutes after you use it."

Max gave a worried nod before he said, "Alright... Barkk, Howl!" With that, Barkk was pulling into the rose gold Miraculous and changing its colours to a neckless with the tips of the edges are shaped like grey dog heads, with two rounded light brown bead-like objects next to each one, and at the front of the jewellery, there are five light larger brown bead-like objects.

That was when Max's transformation took place. His clothes turned into a light brown breathable, semi-skintight bodysuit with a cocoa shade of brown around his forearms and lower legs. A pair of black boots with a hidden wedge, light brown toes, and paw-shaped treads took the place of his regular shoes. Coco brown gloves that had claws on the fingertips. A black visor replaced his glasses and completely covered his unseeing eyes while some light brown fabric attached to the visor covered the upper half of his face and his human ears but a pair of pointed mechanical dog ears appeared on the upper sides of the visor. His short, curly, dark brown hair grew longer, turned black, and was styled in multiple breaded locks that probably reached his shoulders. The fabric covering his forehead also extended over his hairline like a bandana and causing his locks to stay out of his face. A light brown collapsed sansetsukon (2) with a 120 cm (2 inch) retractable blade (currently hidden) appeared sideways a little above his waist before it was covered by a narrow, sleeveless, dark grey cloak that seemed to resemble a wolf tail.

Markov seemed to be affected too, but he seemed to become... Simplified... The AI turned into 11 orbs of light that floated around the room.

"Markov?" Max called out to his AI.

The blind teen immediately felt relief when he heard a familiar voice near his ears say, "I am functioning well, though my new formation is going to have to take an undisclosed amount of time to get used to. I seem to have gained eleven separate bodies that can move and make sounds, at least according to the new information I had just acquired from the "Miraculous" thing."

Max flexed his fingers, testing the tensile strength of the gloves he was wearing when he said, "Fascinating. While I wish we had more time to properly test our new abilities, right now we need to stop that Akuma thing from wreaking the city. Where can we leave the house without being seen by anyone?"

One of the orb's light darted towards the door and made a chirping sound, indicating to follow.

"Huh, interesting," Max stated as he followed the sound. The orbs moved quickly as to lead the holder of the Dog Miraculous to the roof of the house.

The more confident Markov got with his new form, the faster he was able to act as he moved the 11 floating orbs. Max also grew in confidence as he got more use to the Miraculous being active. Soon they were on the roof, the orbs observed the surroundings carefully, making sure to note the distance the obstacles were from where Max was. There was one obstacle that might pose a problem for the blind teen.

"Max, do you trust me?" Markov asked the blind hero.

"Of course I do, Markov. What is the challenge?" Max asked, now feeling ready to take on any task.

Markov analyzed the challenge at hand before he said, "Jumping from building to building. According to my calculations, it is the fastest way to catch up to the Akuma Golem."

Max now understood the concern Markov had. But...

"I trust you, Markov, completely," Max stated clearly.

Markov made a happy beep when he said, "I have already made the accurate calculations as to how to jump from building to building in the direction we need to reach the Eiffel Tower. I already have one orb at the 'jump' location, but you need to get a running start to gain the momentum needed to leap."

"I understand on both parts," Max stated as he readied himself for a run as he turned himself towards the clicking orb near the edge of the roof. "Just tell me when to run."

Markov readied the orbs when he said, "Now."

And with that, Max took off in the direction of the clicking orb, carefully listening as the sound got louder and closer. The moment the blind hero was on top of the clicking orb, he leapt. Markov already had an orb on the roof of the next building now making a clicking noise, signalling Max to be ready to land here. The new hero braced for the landing and stuck it with ease.

Max and Markov were simply ecstatic by the success of this method when the blind teen said, "Perfect! Markov! On to the next building!" And with that, the orbs moved into position and Max followed the sound.

}i{

Adrien was walking between two buildings on his extendable metal bo staff, awestruck by his new sense of balance. "I'm starting to get the hang of this," the black cat hero said out loud to no one in particular until he heard a strange sound. He looked up just in time to see a ladybug-themed teenage girl hurtling towards him with a bird tucked under her arm. Before he could act, the two collided in midair.

Miki fell from her person's grip, she panicked before she started flapping her wings to try to catch the air to at least slow her descend. It worked, but it was a bit clumsy. She did manage to land on the ground with a plop, but no damage. "Kaw?" Miki looked around for her person and the guy she collided with on the ground. She tilted her head in confusion when she didn't see either until she heard grunting from above. Miki looked up before she "Kaw"ed in shocked.

Both the black cat and the ladybug-themed heroes were tied together, upsidedown by the yo-yo's string being held up by the metal staff that was still in place.

Adrien smiled cheekily when he said, "Well, hey there. Nice of you to drop in."

"Sorry, and that wasn't on purpose," Marinette stated flatly, trying to wiggle out of the string's grip. She wasn't liking the sudden closeness from the other hero, too much touch stimulation for her liking and with a stranger too. This was something Marinette was NOT comfortable with. She only allowed her family and close friends get this close to her for a hug, but only when they ask her permission first.

Once they became untangled, Adrien said the moment his feet touched the ground, "I bet you're one of the partners my Kwami told me about."

Now that her feet were on the ground, Marinette tugged on her yo-yo to untangle it from the metal staff when she said, "I guess..."

"Kaw!" the black and red bird crowed out as she hopped over to her person and nuzzled her leg.

"Aww, you get a cute little buddy and I don't? That's so unfair," Adrien joked, pretending to be hurt.

Marinette, not understanding the quip, replied, "She was affected by the Miraculous. At least, that's how my Kwami explained it. Wish she could've explained it better." She looked down at Miki, who looked up at her. Marinette then continued to tug on the string when she asked the black-clad, "Who are you by the way?"

Adrien was a little taken back by the bluntness and seriousness by his new partner, but he quickly replied, "Oh, umm... *Thinks for 3 seconds*. I'm Chat Noir. Yeah, Chat Noir. And you?"

"I'm..." Marinette got out, now realizing that she hadn't picked out a hero name for herself. She tugged on the string again, but this time the yo-yo end came loose and landed on Chat Noir's head with a bonk before bouncing off into the ladybug-themed hero's hands. "Sorry again," Marinette got out with a wince, thinking that that had to have hurt. Miki was snickering at the action.

Chat Noir rubbed where he got hit when he said, "No biggy, Miss Sorry." Before he caught his metal staff with one hand.

That was when they heard a thundering sound, followed by the ground shaking.

"Formalities will have to wait! We have to take care of that Akuma!" Marinette stated before she scooped Miki up and then threw her yo-yo towards the direction the sound came from. When the yo-yo hooked onto something, she looks at Chat when she asked, "You coming along?"

Chat Noir gave a cattish smirk when he said, "You cat get rid of me that easily."

Marinette stared at the black cat hero with a raised brow when she asked, "Huh?"

Chat Noir blinked in confusion when he said, "Uh, I was making a pun. I said 'Cat' instead of 'can't', get it?" It was an obvious pun to him, so it had to be an obvious pun to her. Right?

"Not really," Marinette stated bluntly (3), before she said, "Listen, we need to get to the Eiffel Tower to stop the Akuma, so now isn't the time for puns or whatever you're trying to do." With that, she tugged on the string, and then the yo-yo pulled her in the direction she wanted and sending her flying through the air.

Adrien stood where he was for only a bit, wondering about the strange behaviour of his new teammate before he realized that he needed to start moving too if he wanted to save the day. He used his bo staff as a pole volt to launch him into the air and allowing him to follow the ladybug-themed hero towards the famous landmark of France.

}i{ At the Eiffel Tower }i{

Stoneheart managed to climb second-story of the Eiffel Tower while keeping Chloe in one of his hands while clenching the other hand into a fist, as the police tried to continue to stop the Akuma. The Mayor of Paris was at the blockade, pleading through a megaphone for his daughter to be returned to him.

"Daddy!" Chloe cried out in desperation while hoping to be saved somehow.

Stoneheart simply glanced at the bully in his fist before he said, "You know what? You can have her back!" Then he threw the now screaming Chloe towards the blockade without much of a second thought.

André and the police gasped in horror and shock at the action while their bodies froze in place.

During her fast descent towards the ground and fearing the end, Chloe managed to get out as she clasped her hands together, "Help! I promise I'll be nice to everyone, say please and thank you all-"

A blur raced passed the blockade and people, right towards the screaming girl. The blur leapt into action and caught the blonde literally right before she hit the ground. Chloe quickly glanced at her saviour and was met with a black visor. The blonde quickly took in the appearance of this person when he asked, "You alright?" Max didn't know who he saved, but he didn't care, he was a hero now.

"Yeah, uh, yeah! I'm fine. Shaken, but fine," Chloe managed to get out as this hero carefully allowed her feet to touch the ground. She was a little unsteady, but she was able to stand without aid.

"Chloe!" André exclaimed happily when he realized that his daughter was safe as he rushed over to her.

"Daddy!" Chloe said as she met her father half-way in a hug.

That was when the realization hit the new hero. 'Wait... Did I just save my school bully from falling... Urg, how ironic...' Max thought a little bitterly before he calmed himself down by thinking, 'Heroes have to save civilians from danger, even if they are bullies. Hopefully, this will change Chloe for the better.' Keyword being Hopefully.

The ladybug-themed hero and Chat Noir landed nearby before they jogged over towards the dog-themed hero. Now the team was complete.

"You must be the last member of our team," Chat Noir said with a cattish smile when he saw Max. Then he spotted the eleven light orbs floating near the Dog Miraculous holder and said in a cheeky tone, "Aww, you get an extra helper too? This kitty is feeling left out of the game."

Marinette rolled her eyes when she said, "Not this again."

Max turned his attention towards the new voices when he said, "I take it you are the partners I was told about? The Black Cat and the Ladybug?"

The black cat hero took an exaggerated bow when he said, "Chat Noir, at your service."

Suddenly, loud coughing got everyone's attention. They all turned towards Stoneheart, just in time to see him spitting out a swarm of darkening butterflies. Those butterflies then took the form of a masked man's face.

"People of Paris, listen carefully. I am Hawkmoth," the head spoke loudly.

"Hawkmoth?" the three heroes said in confusion at the same time.

The head then stated, "Listen here little heroes, give me the ladybug earrings and the cat ring now. You've done enough damage to these innocent people!"

That was when Marinette snapped loudly as she pointed her free hand at the head, "We've done damage?! You got a lot of nerve to make that stupid claim, Hawkbrat! YOU were the one who turned an innocent civilian into a stone monster! YOU were the one who had him cause all this destruction! We only got our Miraculous because YOU were causing all this havoc!" Marinette paused a bit before she then turned to the other heroes when she asked, "Wait, you two got your Miraculous after this Akuma ran rampant, right?"

"Yeah, I was watching the news feed of the Akuma fighting the police when I got mine," Chat Noir said honestly. After all, he had no reason to lie about that.

"Same here," Max stated before adding, "I was listening to the report when I got mine."

Marinette placed her free hand over her chest in relief when she said, "Oh good, I didn't want to create any inaccuracies on that."

Max then said, "I understand your concerns, but I do not think now is the time to worry about that. *Taps his cheek with a finger* I'm going to assume that Chat Noir is the holder of the Black Cat Miraculous, so that means that the young lady here is the Holder of the Ladybug Miraculous?"

"Kinda obvious, don't you think," Chat Noir said with a raised brow as he indicated his costume. He was now wondering what was wrong with his partners if they were missing such obvious indicators.

"Kaw!" Miki called attention to herself and causing Max to jump a bit (since he didn't know that there was a bird nearby). Chat Noir found that rather odd.

Marinette held up her cat-turned-bird in front of her when she asked, "What's wrong?"

Miki pointed a wing to the head made of black butterflies with a "Rawk!"

Marinette easily understood what her therapy companion was indicating. So she placed Miki on the ground when she said, "I'm on it!" She then raced off towards the Eiffel Tower and then used her yo-yo to slingshot herself onto it as she activated the purifying powers on her yo-yo. "Time to purify these poor souls!" the ladybug-themed hero said before she uses her yo-yo to catch multiple Akumas, and making Hawkmoth's face disappear little by little. Cat Noir and the others look up at her, surprised. Thanks to Markov relaying the information to him under his visor, Max was also amazed by the Ladybug Miraculous holder. Marinette then turned towards the barricade when she said, "Let me make this promise to you, people of Paris. No matter who wants to harm you, we heroes will do everything in our power to keep you safe!" She then opens her yo-yo, and a mega swarm of purified butterflies come out, all the now white insects scattered through the air.

The citizens of Paris cheered with joy at this display.

Cat Noir, still utterly awestruck, could help but say, "Wow. Whoever she is beneath that mask, I love that girl."

"I concur, she does seem to be an amazing individual," Max stated in agreement.

"Max, judging by the tone he and words he used, I speculate that Chat Noir is implying that he now has romantic feelings for the Ladybug Holder," Markov said into Max's ears. The blind hero couldn't help but raise a brow in confusion.

}i{ Secret Lair }i{

Hawkmoth growled in annoyance before he snapped, "Agh! That's the problem with superheroes. They're too...heroic! Stoneheart, they're trying to take your loved ones away from you. You must snatch their Miraculouses so they will be powerless against you!"

}i{ Eiffel Tower }i{

Stoneheart lept back to his feet when he said, "Okay, Hawkmoth!" He then tried to swipe at the ladybug-themed hero with his clenched fist.

Marinette was able to dodge as she landed a bit aways from the Akumatized villain. 'Has that been closed the entire time?' the ladybug-themed hero wondered before an extended bo hit Stoneheart on his off shoulder. It didn't take long before Chat Noir and the Dog Miraculous Holder to join their teammate on the Eiffel Tower. Stoneheart grew a size bigger due to the impact of the attack.

Once the boys stood beside the ladybug-themed hero, Max asked as he readied his sansetsukon, "Either of you got an idea on how to fight this Akuma? Because according to the data gathered, every time he is hit, his size and power increases."

"According to my Kwami, we have to find the item the Akuma is possessing so we can break it and get it purified, but where would that be on this guy? There nothing to hold an item," Chat Noir stated, using his arms to indicate what he meant. But he noticed that only the ladybug-themed hero was looking at him, the dog-themed hero wasn't even pretending to look at him as the orbs returned by their person's side.

"The Akuma has to be in his fist," Marinette suddenly said, before glancing at her fellow heroes and stating, "It's the only place that makes sense and as far as I know, he hasn't opened that hand once, even when he was climbing the Eiffel Tower."

The group didn't have much time to think about that when Stoneheart rushed them, but the three easily dodged. When they regrouped, they quickly relaid their Special Power. The ladybug-themed hero's Lucky Charm to summon a helpful object, Chat Noir's destructive Cataclysm, and the dog-themed hero's loud Sonic Howl.

Once she heard these abilities, Marinette threw her yo-yo into the air when she shouted, "Lucky Charm!" Little ladybug shaped sparkles emitted from the yo-yo before a long red cord with black poke-a-dots appeared in mid-air, before falling into the ladybug-themed hero's hands. She looked over the object and tested the tensile strength before she said in confusion, "A bungee cord? I was told that these Lucky Charms are supposed to help, but how's this going to work?"

"Maybe we can bungee him off the Eiffel Tower and grab his Akuma when it hits the ground?" Chat Noir joked with a smile.

"Isn't that illegal?" Max asked in confusion before Markov signalled him to dodged an oncoming attack from the Akuma.

A "Rawk!" suddenly pierced the air. The next thing the heroes knew, Stoneheart was being attacked by a flying black bird with a few red feathers scattered on her body. Okay, not attacked, more like pestering with a few well-placed pecks and taunts.

"Is that the same bird, that was with us earlier, Ms Ladybug?" Max asked, recognizing the voice of the bird from just a few minutes ago, to which Markov confirmed.

"Of course it's the same bird. I mean, how many black birds with a few red feathers are there in Paris?" Chat Noir asked, somewhat sarcastically. To the black cat holder, it was completely obvious that it was the same bird. 'So how come he didn't know?' The black cat hero wondered as he parried one of Stoneheart's strikes.

Marinette thought for a bit as she looked at the cord in her hands, which pinged red with black dots in her mind. She then looked up at Miki, who turned red with black dots briefly in her mind. She then looked at Stoneheart, who turned red with black dots in her mind briefly, minus the arm he had clenched in a fist. She then looked at the dog-themed her, who then turned red with black dots in her mind briefly. Then, Stoneheart's fist turned red with black dots in her mind briefly. And finally, she glanced at Chat Noir, who turned red with black dots in her mind briefly. Now Marinette had a plan!

The ladybug-themed hero gave a quick whistle, calling for Miki to come to her. The bird spotted her person and flew right towards her when she did Marinette gave Miki one end of the bungee cord when she said to the bird, "We need to keep the arm with the fist free. *Turns her partners when*. Mr Dog, use your Sonic Howl on the Akuma on my signal and Chat, be ready to Cataclysm the Akumatized object when he drops it!" That was when the earrings made a beeping sound before losing a spot.

Max nodded when he said, "Understood." Markov was already ready with the orbs to signal where Max should aim.

"Uhh, okay..." Chat Noir said, a little unsure about this whole thing. But before he could make another comment, the ladybug-themed hero and her bird sprang into action.

Marinette and Miki quickly moved on tying up Stoneheart with the bungee cord, both managed to avoid getting hit long enough to get the cord wrapped nicely around the Akuma, save for his fisted hand. When Marinette and Miki managed to wrap their ends around two metal beams on the opposite side, to keep the Akuma in place, when the ladybug-themed hero shouted, "NOW!"

"Sonic Howl!" Max shouted as his Miraculous started glowing. He then took a deep breath as he turned to where one of Markov's orbs was signalling to aim before he let the ability loose when he opened his mouth. As the name suggested, it sounded just like a dog or a wolf howling. The soundwaves hit Stoneheart directly, but the attack didn't make the Akuma grow in size. The soundwaves seem to be chipping away at him bit by bit.

Unable to take the sound, Stoneheart tried to cover his ears with his hands, or hand in this case. In his haste to block out the noise, the Akuma opened his fist and dropping the blackened object.

When Chat Noir saw this, he raced towards the Akumatized object when he shouted, "Cataclysm!" His ring glowed and then black mana surrounded his right hand.

By now, Max has exhausted his Sonic Howl and was trying to catch his breath.

It took a few seconds for Stoneheart to notice that the onslaught of sound had stopped, but when he did and realized that he dropped the Akumatized object Chat Noir was already on top of it. The black cat hero touched the object with the black mana, causing it to wither and break into pieces. When the object was destroyed, the dark energy suddenly appeared around Stoneheart and turned him back to Ivan and a darken butterfly flew out.

When Ivan plopped to the ground as he slipped through the bungee cord, due to the height and size difference between him and Stoneheart, Marinette activated her yo-yo when she said, "No more evil-doing for you little Akuma. *She then throws the yo-yo at the darken butterfly* Time to purify!" When the yo-yo hit the purple-black butterfly, it snapped close, capturing the little creature, and returned to Marinette. She then tapped on the yo-yo, letting the now white butterfly out to flutter away, and said, "Bye-bye little butterfly."

Ivan seemed confused as he looked around, trying to figure out where he was. 'The Eiffel Tower? How'd I get here?' the tall, bulky teen wondered before he saw the three heroes. "Who are you guys? How did I get here?" Ivan asked the three in pure confusion. He wanted answers.

As Marinette coiled the bungee cord, Max knelt near Ivan when he said, "It might be better for us to answer those questions with the police present."

"Police? Why would they be needed?" Ivan asked, now even more confused.

Max placed a hand to his chin before he asked Chat to help him get the bulky teen to the barricade. Marinette glanced to see if there a clear area for her to throw up the Lucky Charm, but since there wasn't any she followed the boys to the police as she hoisted the wrapped cord over her left shoulder. The bluette paused when she spotted the wadded up paper on the ground. She remembered that it was where the Akuma was before she picked up the paper. Miki managed to land carefully on her person's right shoulder as the bluette uncrumpled the paper and read what was on the paper. The Miraculous made a beeping sound. Now Chat's ring had only four parts of a paw print on his ring, one of the beads on the Dog Miraculous turned grey, and the ladybug earring now had three black dots.

When the heroes brought their classmate to the police, while making sure that Chloe didn't interfere, Ivan asked his questions again. He was still confused about how he got to the Eiffel Tower since he was at school from what he remembers. Some of the police and nearby civilians, Chloe included, didn't believe that he was completely unaware of what happened.

Thinking carefully about what Ivan said and what he hasn't told, Marinette asked, "So you don't remember Hawkmoth taking control of you?" Ivan shakes his head with a 'No' before asking who Hawkmoth was. The ladybug-themed hero then asked, "You don't remember how he turned you into a giant golem?" Ivan raised a brow at the question but he did reply that he didn't. The beeping from the Miraculous signalled the three minutes before the boys were to transform back to their civilian forms while Marinette only had two. The ladybug-themed hero knew she had to uses the Miraculous Healing and leave before she the Miraculous drops her hero form, so she quickly asked, "So you don't remember that you also hurt Mylène during your rampage?"

Ivan's face went pale and he then asked in a panicked tone, "Wait, Mylène got hurt?! Where is she?! Is she okay?!" He quickly turned to Officer Raincomprex and asked, "Take me to the hospital where everyone got hurt in the golem attack! I have to see if Mylène is alright!"

"Mylène?" Max asked in confusion, wondering what another one of his classmates had to do with this. Because as far as he knew, only the school building was damaged and no one got hurt.

Marinette placed a hand on Ivan's shoulder when she said, "I'm sorry about deceiving you, but I had to make sure you weren't lying."

Ivan looked at the ladybug-themed hero when he asked, "So... Mylène is okay?"

Marinette nodded when she said, "Yes, she's fine, and from what I heard, no one at the school got hurt."

"Speak for yourself," Chloe grumbled with a huff.

"Who's Mylène?" Chat Noir asked in confusion. He didn't know what was going on or how this person's name came up.

Marinette held up the crumpled paper, relieving that there were words written on it, when he said, "I got Mylène's name from this poem. It's really sweet and I'm sure she'll love it."

Ivan blushed when he said, "It's a song... But you think so? You think she'll like it?"

Marinette handed Ivan the paper when she said, "I'm sure she will." Miki then let out a 'Kaw' before she pointed her beak at the cord on her person's other shoulder. "Oh, right, before I forget," Marinette said as she took the bungee cord off her left shoulder and threw it up in the air when she shouted, "Miraculous Healing!"

As soon at the Lucky Charm was at it's highest, it burst into little ladybug sparkles. The sparkles then scattered and flew around the city, fixing everything that was broken or destroyed by Stoneheart. The display amazed anyone who saw.

It didn't take long for reporters to start clambering over, trying to get the scoop.

"Who are you three?" Was one of the questions that the three managed to hear.

Chat Noir happily introduced himself again.

Max thought quickly when he said, "My name is Canis, and *indicates the closest orb, that was near his left ear and making a soft chirping sound that only he heard* these orbs are Sirius." Markov couldn't help but note the theme Max was going for and found it quite clever.

Marinette, somewhat panicking because of the sudden onslaught of the noise of people talking over one another and all the flashes from the cameras, was only able to get out, "Uh, um, Ladybug!" Miki quickly nuzzled the bluette's cheek, trying to calm her person down.

"Aww, who's your cute feathered friend?" one reporter questioned.

"Oh, uh..." Ladybug managed to get out before she said, "Her name is... Ladybird!"

Canis raised a brow when he turned his head towards Ladybug's voice when he asked, "Isn't that the same as you?"

Chat Noir gave a huff when he said, "No, Ladybird is a bird and Ladybug is M'Lady."

Canis shook his head when he said, "No, that wasn't what I was meant. The names are describing the same thing."

"No, they're completely different," Chat Noir stated stubbornly.

Canis facepalmed when he said, "Chat, the names ladybug and ladybird are different names for the same creature."

Chat Noir then stated, "No, Ladybird is the name of the bird that helped Ladybug and Ladybug is our amazing partner."

Canis pinched the bridge of his nose as he muttered under his breath, "I think it's best to just leave this where it lies."

Sirius when said into Canis' ears, "While I am unsure as to why Chat Noir isn't understanding what you are trying to explain, I understand that it's sometimes best to just drop a topic when it is getting nowhere." (4)

That was when the Miraculous beeped again. Two-minute warning for the boys and one minute for Ladybug.

"Uh-oh, we got to go," Ladybug said as Ladybird flapped her wings. The red-clad hero did a two-finger salute when she said, "Time to bug out everyone." And then she darted away for a place to hide so no one could see her de-transform. Ladybird quickly followed her person by flying. But in all honesty, the ladybug-themed hero was just glad to get away from all the sight and sound stimulation.

"Until next time, M'Lady," Chat Noir said with a bow before he headed off opposite Ladybug, using his extendable metal staff as a pole volt to get him onto the rooftops faster.

Canis sighed before he darted off in a different direction his teammates. Sirius moved an orb ahead of his holder and signalling that he needed to jump at this location. Canis followed the sounds the orbs made, to find a place to de-transform and to get home with no problems.

}i{ Hawkmoth's Secret Lair }i{

Hawk Moth let out a frustrated growl before he said, "This is just the beginning, Ladybug. You, Cat Noir, and Canis may have won this battle, but I will win the war. I will get your Miraculous. I will get the absolute power! And then my secret dream will come true!"

With that the blinds on the circular window started to close, encasing the villain in darkness.

~}i{ The Next Morning at Collège Françoise Dupont }i{~

In the Agreste car (being driven by the Gorilla with Nathalie and Adrien sitting in the back seat), that had just pulled up to Dupont, Gabriel is scolding Adrien via video.

Gabriel gave his son a stern look via the video when he said, "You disobeyed me, Adrien. Take a look at that school."

Adrien, feeling down, only replied, "Yes, Father..." He just wanted some independence, to show that he can take care of himself.

Gabriel then sternly stated, "You will never, I say, never go back there again."

Adrien, now visibly upset, couldn't help but shout, "Father, no!"

That was when Gabriel then stated, "Without your bodyguard. He will drop you off and pick you off every day. Nathalie has offered to organize a new schedule. You'll be continuing your music, Chinese, and fencing classes and your photoshoots. My only condition that you are to monitor your blood sugar levels on your own and send the results to Nathalie before and after you eat, and if you so much as miss checking even once, I WILL pull you out of this school, understood Adrien."

Adrien froze in shock at what he heard. His father... Was letting him go to school! "Are you... Being serious Father?" Adrien asked, still in shock, before he stuttered out, "I can...I can... I can go to school!?"

"On the condition that you forward all you blood sugar monitoring to Nathalie every time you check," Gabriel reminded sternly.

Ecstatic, Adrien said happily, "Thank you, Father! *Quickly hugs Nathalie*. Thank you, Nathalie!" And with that, the blonde model hopped out of the car to start his school day.

Gorilla watched the teen with a small smile on his face.

}i{ In Miss Bustier's Classroom }i{

Nearly everyone (Marinette arrived early today) was in their assigned seats, waiting for school to start, or rather they were listening to Alya talk excitedly about the new heroes and her new blog, especially about the great battle she managed to record between Stoneheart and the three heroes.

"Dudette, it was still pretty dangerous of you to just run to where the villains are just to get footage of heroes," Nino commented as he leaned back in his seat, glancing up at the ombre-haired girl. That was when he said, "You could've been totally flattened by the Akuma or even shot by the police if you'd been close enough."

Kim folded his arms when he gave Alya a look and said, "I agree with Nino on that. And you guys all know that I do a lot of crazy shit, but I'm not suicidal."

Alix playfully punched Kim when she snipped, "Not on purpose at least."

Kim gave the pinkette a glare when he stated, "I'm being serious, Alix. If the Heroes hadn't shown up when they did, things could've been worse and Alya could've gotten seriously hurt." Now Alix knew Kim was being serious if he didn't call her "pipsqueak".

"Huh, hello? I think you mean that "I" could've been seriously hurt," Chloe snapped from the doorway, Sabrina right behind the blonde bully.

Kim frowned when he said, "Oh, trust me, I got a lot of things to say about you, but the Dupain-Chengs threaten to stop making my favourite baked-good flavours if I teach Marinette any more swear words."

Nino snicked when he said, "Oh yeah, but you do have to admit that it was hilarious."

"Damn right it was," Marinette stated bluntly with a straight face, her deep red earrings shimmered in the light a bit. Miki was lounging in her person's lap, happy to be back to her feline body. Tikki was happily snuggled in Marinette's purse.

"Ooh, gurl, who taught you that?" Alya asked, somewhat impressed.

Marinette immediately replied with, "Kim did, but Maman and Papa weren't happy about it though."

Kim slumped in his seat when he said, "Don't remind me. They scolded me for an hour and they wouldn't give me my favourites for a month. Now I gotta make sure to watch my mouth in front of Mari."

Max chuckled when he said, "Why doesn't that surprise me?" He was thankful no one noticed the rose gold choker he was wearing under his collar. Barkk carefully peaked an eye out an opening in Max's bag to see how the humans act in this "class" place.

As the class laughed, Chloe and Sabrina went to their assigned seats. The blonde girl huffed in annoyance when she did.

Ivan and Mylène were sitting next to each other, holding hands with smiles on their faces.

Yes, Ivan followed Ladybug's advise and showed Mylène the song that he wrote for her. When she read it, she asked Ivan if the lyrics were true. And when he replied that they were, Mylène smiled and hugged him. And the two have been together ever since.

Marinette glanced at the pair secretly with a small smile. The bluette might not understand a lot of social cues as well as her peers, but she knows a few of the "love cues" that she had seen her parents used when they are together. So Marinette is aware that Ivan and Mylène are now in a romantic relationship. 'Can't wait to tell Maman and Papa,' the bluette thought happily.

Adrien arrives and quickly scurried to his assigned seat next to Nino with a huge smile on his face. The white ring on right ring finger slid under everyone's radar and Plagg was snoozing in his inner shirt pocket.

"Adrien, dude, what's got you in a good mood this morning?" Nino asked the blonde model, a little confused as to why he was so happy this morning.

Adrien couldn't help but tell his classmates the good news, "My father is allowing me to attend! He didn't know about me sneaking out of the mansion and coming here yesterday, but now he's allowing me to attend!"

A little confused by this information, Nino was only able to say, "Uh, good for you dude... I think."

Adrien nodded happily when he said, "Yes, but the condition of him letting me stay is that I send Nathalie my blood sugar monitoring when I check. But that's not a problem, because I always check when I need to."

"Blood sugar?" Nino vocalizes in confusion, before he asked the blonde model, "Wait, are you Diabetic?"

Not noticing the sudden shift of atmosphere, Adrien replied, "Yes."

"Type One or Two?" Nino asked the blonde boy seriously.

"Type One," Adrien responded, still none the wiser about the shift in tension in the classroom, or Chloe glaring at the others.

"Dude, does Miss Bustier, the other teachers, or the doc know you're Diabetic?" Nino asked, still in that serious tone.

"Should they?" Adrien asked cluelessly. He's never been questioned about his Diabetes or that if people should know about it.

That was when Chloe stood from her seat, slamming her hands onto her desk when she snapped, "Listen Lahiffe, it's no one's business to know about Adrikin's Diabetes. So back off unless you want me calling daddy!"

Nino stood up when he uncharacteristically snapped angrily, "Chloe, the teachers and the healthcare staff have to know! What if something happens to Adrien when he's here and the medical staff accidentally make it worse because they are using a medicine that might cause his blood sugar to spike or get dangerously low?" That made Chloe pause in her threat towards the normally laid back teen. Nino then snapped as he walked around the desk to moved towards Chloe as he continued, "And Miss Bustier, as well as the other teachers, need to be aware because most Diabetics take insulin "shots", meaning they have to know why Adrien is carrying around a syringe and clear vials of liquid. If they don't, there's a good chance that they'll confiscate it because they could think that those might be drugs! Considering that you already knew about his Diabetes, you should also know what will happen to a Diabetic when they don't have their insulin!"

By now Ms Mendeleiev came into the classroom because she could hear Nino shouting from her class. "Mr Lahiffe! What is the shouting about?" the science teacher asked the bi-sceptical teen with a raised brow. She was more confused about Nino's out of character behaviour more than anything.

Before anyone could get a word in, especially Chloe, Nino stated in that same aggravated tone, "Adrien Agreste is Diabetic and I was telling Chloe why hiding that from the school staff is a bad idea."

Ms Mendeleiev was shocked at what she heard, but the shock quickly wore off when she looked at the blonde model and asked if it was true. When Adrien confirmed, she then stated, "Come with me so we can confirm this with a quick check with the doctor and to call your parents for the proper documentation."

"But! Father might pull me out of school! I promised to let Nathalie know my blood sugar levels," Adrien stated, worry clearly on his face.

Ms Mendeleiev folded her arms when she said, "Mr Agreste, that is not how things work here. While it's fine if you let your step-mum or any family member know your blood sugar levels when you're here, we educators and medical staff must be aware of you Diabetes so that we may make proper accommodations for you so that you are both comfortable and can participate in class to your fullest. There's also the fact that we do need to have some emergency medicine that are safe for Diabetics, just in case something happens, that I hope doesn't." The science teacher then motioned for Adrien to come with her when she said, "Now lets not dally on this, we need to have this on your record and explain to your parents the reason why it needs to be. And if your father finds that inconvenient or refuses, then I'll sick CPS on him for child neglect."

"I'll come with, for moral support and to explain things to him," Nino volunteered with a raised hand as he helped usher Adrien to go with Ms Mendeleiev. But he quickly whispered to the blonde model, "Uh, she's being serious about getting Child Protective Service involved. She's done it before, so let's not push her to do it with your old man."

In a weird combination of confused and conflicted, Adrien leaves the classroom with Nino and Ms Mendeleiev, to put in the paperwork to let the school know that he's Diabetic.

The class was oddly silent until Chloe opened her mouth with, "What the hell just happened? I mean, Lahiffe was actually shouting... Didn't think he had it in him to do that."

Marinette and Kim glanced at each other at this. The taller teen quickly shook his head. The bluette understood what that non-verbal cue meant, and she knew why Kim was giving it to her. Chloe didn't have the right to know, so the bluette's not going to say anything.

}{

It didn't take long for everything to be set in place, and that impressed Adrien. Especially when the doctor managed to convince his father to give them the medical records that they needed to make sure Adrien would be safe within the school. Soon, the blonde was told by the doctor that now they can make the accommodations needed for him, even if he didn't understand what that meant. Nino was by Adrien's side the whole ordeal, explaining everything along the way. The red-capped told the blonde model that accommodations were just something that helps students with special needs function well in class. Like how Marinette is allowed to have Miki with her because she gets panic attacks and that Miki specially trained to aid in preventing those panic attacks, and how Max is allowed to record the day's lessons and having the books read out loud because he was blind. Nino then told Adrien that his accommodation would be allowed to eat a snack during class if his blood sugar was low and would be allowed to go to the nurse's office if he needs the extra insulin needles.

Now Adrien understood, but he did tell Nino and the staff that he had an insulin pump and carried around an emergency insulin kit, just in case something happened to his pump. They told him that having the extra needles and insulin in the nurse office was just a precaution.

They managed to return to their class before the next period.

Adrien did notice that his classmates were giving him strange looks, not the same looks as yesterday but they were still strange. 'Was it something I said earlier?' Adrien wondered cluelessly.

When lunch came around, Adrien checked his blood sugar levels and sent a screenshot to Nathalie's number.

"Guess you were being serious about sending those check-ins," Nino commented as he watched the blonde doing this.

Adrien nodded with a small smile when he said, "Yeah, but I have to since I don't want to give Father a reason to pull me out of school. It's not a problem for me to send Nathalie my blood sugar checks, it's just one extra step for me to do, that's all." While Nino wasn't all that comfortable with learning the blonde model's dad threatened to pull him out of school so quickly, he understood why Adrien didn't seem to mind the extra step.

Adrien gave Nino a looked that made it seem like he was both curious but conflicted when he asked, "Um... What you said to Chloe earlier... You... Seemed pretty mad about her wanting to keep my Diabetes a secret from the staff... Can I ask why?"

Nino was quiet for a bit when he said, "... Someone close to me got Gestational Diabetes and nearly lost her unborn because her now ex-husband didn't want her not to tell anyone about the Diabetes... But, luckily she had a co-worker who realized what was happening and got the help to save her and her unborn."

"Gestational Diabetes?" Adrien asked in confusion. He was aware of Type One and Type Two Diabetes, but he didn't know about this type.

Nino gave a small smile when he explained, "Gestational diabetes is a condition in which your blood sugar levels become high during pregnancy, so it's kinda exclusive to people with a womb. There are two classes of gestational diabetes, like regular diabetes. Class A1 can be managed through diet and exercise, but those who have class A2 need to take insulin or other medications. Gestational diabetes goes away after the baby is born. But it can affect the baby's health, and it raises the risk of getting Type Two Diabetes later in life."

"Oh..." Adrien got out, before he cautiously asked, "Is that person okay now?"

"Yeah, she's fine, her baby is too. But she's keeping an eye on her and her baby's health, because she's still has a chance of developing Type Two Diabetes and the baby just needs to be watched for any health problems," Nino said with a soft smile as they entered the cafeteria.

It didn't take Nino and Adrien too long to get their food and find a table with Kim, Alix, Max, and Marinette. Miki was sitting on one of the benches next to the bluette. The cat's ears perked up at the new arrivals.

The group only had a few minutes to enjoy each other's company and lunch before Chloe barged in and tried to shoehorn Adrien off the table so he could have lunch with her and Sabrina at the Grand Paris. The blonde bully stated that she wanted to celebrate finally being allowed to attend school with her childhood friend.

"Chloe, can't we do that another time? Maybe when we're not in school," Adrien tried to reason, mostly because he wanted to have lunch with his new friends. At least he's hoping that his classmates will be his friends.

Chloe practically yanked Adrien out of his seat when she said, "Oh come on Adrikins, MY company is far better than these peasants. Besides, not like two of these idiots will even notice you missing."

"Hey!" Marinette and Max vocalized in anger as Chloe pulled Adrien completely away from the table, much to the protest from the group and the model in question at the table.

As Chloe pulled Adrien out of the cafeteria, the blonde model quickly glanced at the table he was sitting at before the wall blocked his view. Adrien's mind filtered through what Nino told him about what Chloe has done in school, then what Kim and Max said in the doctor's office, and then the scene of Chloe purposefully causing Max to fall in the cafeteria yesterday played in his head. Adrien closed his eyes briefly before opening them with a determined look.

Adrien stopped walking and yanked the arm out of Chloe's grip.

"Adrikins? What's wrong?" Chloe asked, not noticing the look on Adrien's face right away.

Adrien tried to keep himself calm when he hissed out, "What's wrong? What's wrong?! There are plenty of things wrong, Chloe, most being caused by you!"

Chloe huffed in annoyance when she asked, "What are you talking about?"

Adrien crossed his arms when he stated, "I was told by some of our classmates about your bullying behaviours, not to mention I SAW YOU purposely trip another one of our classmates. Chloe, how could you do something like that?"

Chloe scoffed when she stated, "That's not bullying, that's showing who's on top."

Adrien then angrily snapped, "Chloe! You caused him to fall! On purpose! How can that NOT be considered bullying?!" The model watched Chloe's body posture as it became a little tenser. That was when he asked in a pleading tone, "Chloe... How can you protect me from bullies while being a bully at the same time?"

Chloe bit her lip slightly before she said, "It's... Complicated... But I have a good reason for it."

That was when Adrien snapped, "How is bullying reasonable?!"

Chloe made a calm down motion with her hands when she said, "Adrikins, settle down. Is your blood sugar low?"

"Do NOT pull that card, Chloe," Adrien hissed, before he stated sternly, "I checked it before I even sat down to eat, so I know it's not going to be an excuse here." Chloe gulped at this, realizing that her childhood friend was being serious. That was when Adrien snapped loudly, "I knew you can be a little bratty and pushy at times but I never thought you could ever be an outright bully!"

"Adrikins! Calm down!" Chloe tried to motion for the model to lower his voice.

That was when Adrien shouted, "How can I be calm after learning that you're a hypocrite?!" He then took a deep breath before he stated, "And I am not going to be friends with you anymore as long as you continue to bully others."

"Wait! Adrikins, let's not do anything rash," Chloe tried to reason, or try to put into reason.

Adrien turned his back to Chloe when he said, "Trust me on this one. I have thought about it, and I am not going to be friends with someone who hurts others for fun. Even if we've been friends for a long time." He then took a few steps towards the cafeteria when he muttered under his breath, "Especially when they bully those with disabilities..."

Now Chloe was alone, with only her thoughts to keep her company.

Adrien quickly walked over to the table he was sitting at and returned to the seat he was at. That was when he realized that everyone was staring at him (besides Max) with worried looks on their faces.

Nino placed a hand on Adrien's shoulder when he said, "Dude, you alright?"

Adrien sighed, letting shoulders drop when he said, "No... I just ended my friendship with someone that I've known since I was in diapers because I found out that she's not only a bully but also a hypocrite... How can I be fine after that?" Adrien then wondered if he was ever going to get over this.

Nino patted Adrien's shoulder, getting the blonde's attention, when he said with a small smile, "Maybe it's time you made some new friends, ones that are a more of a positive influence. Wanna start with us?"

A small smile appeared on Adrien's face when he said, "I'd like that very much."

~}i{ End of School Day }i{~

Adrien took only one step out the main door of the school when he realized that it was raining. Normally, the blonde model liked the rain because it cancelled or postpones the outdoor photoshoots, but now... 'It's pouring today...' Adrien thought to himself, wondering it the weather just reflected his mood... Okay, yeah, he was glad that he made new friends, but it still hurt Adrien that his childhood friend was a bully... And him without his umbrella...

"Don't worry Miki, the pack is waterproof. So you're not going to get wet," someone behind Adrien said. The blonde turned to see a kneeling Marinette sticking her fingers into one of the air-holes in her pack/carrier trying to calm Miki down. The bluette noticed the blonde staring at her and said, "Miki doesn't like rain."

Adrien couldn't help but reply, "I can understand that. Cat's hate getting wet, right?"

Marinette giggled when she said, "Correction, cats hate getting their whiskers wet and they hate being cold." Miki whined as the rain continued to fall. Marinette glanced at the rain when she said, "I didn't bring my umbrella and Miki doesn't like the rain pelting the carrier, even if it is waterproof..."

Adrien glanced at the rain too when he said, "Yeah, I didn't bring one either." Right now he was just waiting for his ride to arrive. He was just planning on running towards it as quickly as possible. The next thing Adrien realized was Marinette standing next to him, with her pack on her back with a whining cat inside, watching the rain splash on the pavement. The blonde wanted to pass the time by talking to the bluette but he didn't know what to say to start the conversation... 'We already talked about the weather...' Adrien thought, trying to remember the books he read about making new friends suggested for starting a conversation. 'Ask her how her day was?' Adrien thought before he realized that he was there for the majority of her day, since they were classmates, so that question was out.

"Uhh, your cat's pretty," Adrien finally said, in a weak tone.

Miki growled and pawed at the door from inside the carrier section of Marinette's pack. The bluette then replied, "Miki doesn't like being called pretty or being complimented about her appearance."

Adrien's attention turned to the pack when he said, "Really? But why? Her eyes are stunning."

Marinette, slighting rocking her head side-to-side, replied, "Miki doesn't want to be known a pretty kitty, she likes being called smart or clever. *Eyes Adrien* Miki's a smart cat just doesn't like it when people only comment on her appearance. I would guess that even you would get tired of people just complimenting your appearance."

Adrien was quiet for a second before he said, "... Yeah, I guess that's true..."

Marinette glanced at Adrien again before saying, "My parents run a bakery and I sometimes bring in some test samples for the class to try. Are you allowed to eat the occasional sweet? I don't want you to feel left out when I bring them in."

"Oh, that's real nice of you," Adrien said with a small smile. He then added, "While, I am deterred from eating too many sweets, as long as it's just one or two pieces and I check my blood sugar, I should be fine." Adrien... Would like to be included in this class activity, and if he times the eating of the sweets with lunch, his father and Nathalie would be none the wiser to the slight breach in the diet.

"I can ask Maman and Papa if they can experiment on making some low-sugar or sugar-free goods," Marinette stated bluntly before she added, "They'll be more than happy to make the next test batches that way."

"That gives us something to look forward to," a new voice said from behind Marinette and Adrien. They turned to see Max standing by the door with an umbrella in hand. Max smiled when he said, "Sorry if I'm interrupting, but I heard Mari talk about bringing in a new test batch of sweets from her parent bakery and then hearing that they might be sugar-free, I just couldn't help but make the comment."

"It's fine Max," Marinette stated before noticing the umbrella in the blind teen's hands. The bluette then added, "You came prepared."

Max smiled when he commented, "I always check the weather before I leave the house. So when I heard that there would be a chance of rain, I brought along my umbrella, just in case."

"Smart," Adrien said with a nod, before remembering that the dark-skinned teen couldn't see anything. 'How am I going to be friends with him?' the blonde thought. He needed to find something he can do with the blind teen.

Marinette saw a silver car pull up to the curbside. She then asked the blonde, "Adrien, is that your ride?"

Adrien turns towards the curb and saw the familiar silver car. "Yeah, that's my ride," the blonde stated with a sigh.

Max opened his umbrella and asked, "Want me to help? So you don't get wet."

Adrien looked conflicted as he glanced at Max before glancing at the stairs. He wasn't sure if the blind teen could get down the stairs without falling, or walk to the car while holding the umbrella. Marinette watched and recognized that the look on Adrien's face was "Unsure" on whether or not to accept Max's offer. The bluette was a little confused at to why the blonde would think that Max was certainly capable of doing the task easy enough. Everyone in class kne- Oh!

That was when Marinette said out loud, and bluntly, "Adrien is new to the class! So he hasn't been around long enough to know that you can navigate around the school easily enough Max."

That was when Adrien quickly said, trying his best not to sound rude, "Well, it's also raining and I don't want you to slip and fall, Max!" This cause Marinette to glance at the ground. It didn't look that wet.

Max paused for a bit and thought about what was said by his classmates. Marinette knew Max for years and knew he was capable of navigating around areas he frequents without the aid of his cane. And to be honest, Max would've preferred to walk around the school without his cane since he memorized the layout, but the things he cannot account for are the students moving around the school or sudden emergencies. These two insistence are why he uses his cane at school. Adrien, on the other hand, is not only new to the school, but he also had just recently learned what being blind meant. 'That means Adrien will have to learn that I am capable of getting around myself,' Max concluded.

A honk filled the air. It was easy to figure that it came from the only car in the vicinity.

That was when Max had an idea. "Mari, how about you walk Adrien to his car with my umbrella this time and then we'll walk to the bakery for some games while I wait for the rain to let up enough to walk home," Max said as he held his umbrella for the bluette to take.

"Okay," Marinette said with a small shrug before taking the umbrella from Max. She understood the subtext the blind teen was implying. They'll let Adrien learn tomorrow. Marinette held the umbrella up and stood next to Adrien when she said, "Let's not keep your ride waiting any longer." Adrien gave a short nod before they walked down the stairs and made their way to the car while keeping under the umbrella.

Adrien couldn't help but note that as they walked, Marinette kept from making any sort of contact with him. It was... Strange for the model, since he was used to girls trying to touch him. So when they got in range of the back seat door, and Nathalie opening the door, Adrien asked, "Uh, Marinette, can I ask why you haven't tried to touch me? I mean, I appreciate that you haven't, but I'm just curious as to why."

Marinette tilted her head to the side in confusion when she said, "That was a pointless question to ask."

"Uh, how so?" Adrien replied, now equally confused.

"You're asking if it is okay to ask a why question when you're asking it?" Marinette stated bluntly. Adrien let out an "oh" before the bluette said, "But to answer the question, I don't like it when people touch me so suddenly. It's a sensory issue thing. So since I don't like being touched so suddenly, I don't do it to others."

"Oh," Adrien got out, before glancing at Nathalie and then asking Marinette, "This sensory issue... Is it a side effect of the Panic Attacks? Um, Nino told me you get them if your anxiety gets too high when explaining what accommodations were."

Marinette shook her head when she said, "No, the sensory issues are from my Autism. Oh, right, you weren't in class yesterday when Nino told Alya that, so you didn't know."

"Autism?" Adrien asked in confusion. He's never heard of the word before.

Nathalie, trying to keep the schedule in place said, "Adrien, we have to go. I'll explain what Autism is on the way to the photo shoot."

Marinette glance at the secretary before turning her attention to Adrien when she said, "How about Nino, Kim, and I explain what Autism is tomorrow during a break. So you don't have to think too much on that."

Adrien smiled and replied, "Sure," before he climbed into the car and closed the door. As soon as he buckled up, Gorilla drove off. Adrien watched from the window as Marinette returned to the main entrance to the school and walked up to Max. It didn't take long before he lost sight of them. It was day two of attending school, and Adrien was learning more than he'd ever thought he would. He was glad.

By the corner of the school, under a black umbrella. Master Wang Fu watched his chosen heroes interact.

As Marinette returned the umbrella to Max, they walked down the stairs together and headed towards the Dupain-Cheng Bakery, a green turtle-like Kwami told the elderly man, "They are an excellent choice, Master."

Master Fu stroked his beard with his free hand when he said, "Indeed they are. ... Perhaps I should keep a closer eye on them for a few days and see if they are worthy enough to be trained as Guardians."

Wayzz watched at the Ladybug and Dog holder vanish from their sight when he said, "It wouldn't surprise me if they are."

The comment made Master Fu chuckle a bit.

}{

Kim watches Max walking with Marinette from the class window when Alix whacked his arm.

"You chickened out again, doofus," the pinkette scolded as she folded her arms with a frown as Kim looked at her. She then huffed when she said, "Now I wish Chloe didn't "bump" into Max and got that message deleted."

Kim sighed when he said, "I just wish Max heard the whole message before it got deleted... *Scratches his head in aggravation*, I'm jealous that Ivan was able to confess to Mylène face-to-face, while I can bearly record my confession!"

Nino leaned back in his seat when he shook his head said, "Dude, try not to think about it as being a confession or force it out. You need to just let it flow out in your own way." The laid back teen was trying to both encourage his childhood friend while at the same time not forcing him to go faster than he needs to go.

Kim just sighed.

~}i{ A Little Later, After the Rain, Ended }i{~

Ladybug and Ladybird were leaping/flying from rooftop to rooftop, testing out more of what the Miraculous can do. Marinette did NOT want to be taken by surprise by another Akuma attack, so she wanted to practice, especially with her yo-yo.

When Ladybug landed on one rooftop, she heard a familiar voice say, "Seems like I'm not the only one who thought it important to practice with their Miraculous." The red hero looked up to see Canis with the eleven orbs floating nearby.

"I'd rather be prepared for another Akuma attack than not," Ladybug stated calmly.

"Seems like we're in purr-fect harmony, M'Lady~," the familiar voice of Chat Noir caught the other two hero's ears. The Black Cat practically sashayed over towards his teammates. Well... More towards Ladybug than Canis.

Canis folded his arms when he stated with a frown, "Hey, I'm here too."

Chat Noir only shrugged as he somewhat smirked as he looked at the Dog Holder. He was a bit disappointed when Canis didn't show a reaction to his actions.

Ladybird landed on Ladybug's shoulder when the red hero said, "Can we stay on this task? We need to practice with our assigned weapons so we don't get caught off-guard when Hawkmoth sends another one of his Akumas. Because I don't want him getting our Miraculous and doing worse to Paris."

That was when Canis said, "Ladybug does have a point. I believe we just got lucky in defeating Stoneheart. I mean, did any of us know what we were doing during that fight? Before Ladybug's Lucky Charm at least."

Chat Noir was oddly quiet when Ladybug bluntly said, "Not really. And I'll admit to just throwing my yo-yo around most of the time during that."

That was when Chat Noir took a step towards Ladybug when he said, "Well, M'Lady, you did paw-sitively amazing on your first try."

"He seems to have an affinity for cat puns," Serius commented in Canis' ears.

"Apparently," the Dog Holder mumbled under his breath.

Ladybug didn't notice the pun when she told her teammates that they should start practising. Ladybird gave a kaw in agreement.

So the new team did so, in preparation for the next Akuma they knew could appear soon.

~}i{ Chapter 1, End }i{~

To be continued in chapter 2.

~}i{~

1) A congenital disorder is a medical condition that is present at or before birth. These conditions also referred to as birth defects, can be acquired during the fetal stage of development or from the genetic makeup of the parents.

2) A three-section staff, triple staff, three-part staff, or sansetsukon is a Chinese flail weapon that consists of three wooden or metal staffs connected by metal rings or rope. The weapon is also known as 蟠龍棍 panlong gun, "coiling dragon staff". A more complicated version of the two-section staff (or nunchucks), the staves can be spun to gather momentum resulting in a powerful strike, or their articulation can be used to strike over or around a shield or other 's sansetsukon looks and works similar to the weapon Ikkaku Madarame from Bleach uses as seen in this link (if it works), it can work as a spear if needed ( URL?sa=i&url=https% .com_Madarame&psig=AOvVaw2LAJNhHrZM_iyoWbGZj1kU&ust=1599320826355000&source=images&cd=vfe&ved=0CAIQjRxqFwoTCNC1xsPsz-sCFQAAAAAdAAAAABAD )

3) Individuals on the Autism Spectrum tend to take things literally, so they may not notice/understand when someone is telling a joke or is being sarcastic.

4) For those who don't understand the banter between Canis and Chat Noir and name reference, Coccinellidae is a family of beetles that are commonly known as ladybugs in North America and ladybirds in Britain and other parts of the English-speaking world. Entomologists prefer the names ladybird beetles or lady beetles as these insects are not classified as true bugs. Basically, Ladybug and Ladybird are just different names for the same insect.

~}i{~


End file.
